U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica, Cynthia Telles, gave a speech on July 4th at the United States Independence Day celebration. She highlighted the extraordinary relationship the US and Costa Rica have built over the years.
The event was attended by President of the Republic Rodrigo Chaves, President of the Supreme Electoral Court, Eugenia Zamora, Vice President Mary Munive, interim President of the Supreme Court Patricia Solano, interim Chancellor Christian Guillermet, Ministers of the State, Ambassadors, Deputies, among others.
Ambassador Telles remembered the Independence Day celebrations as a child and mentioned that she holds these memories close to her heart. She had celebrated the 4th of July in Costa Rica as a child, back when her father was nominated as Ambassador to Costa Rica by President Kennedy.
“Today, while listening to the anthem, I felt the same. But also, listening to the Costa Rican anthem, I felt the same emotion at the beautiful memories of my childhood days (…) of the deep, close and continuous friendship that we have had since then and until now for many decades, and of our shared values that have been the bond that brings us together,” she pointed out.
In addition, Telles remarked on the core values that allow both countries to have such an outstanding bond.
“The world is different from the world when my father was Ambassador. But certain things do not change—the friendship, the lasting partnership, the values that we share, such as democracy, openness, and respect for human rights. These remain key to our relationship,” the US Ambassador said.
Furthermore, stressed the importance of diversity and celebrating the differences that enrich society.
“Today, we also celebrate another shared value—diversity, specifically, the incredible diversity of the United States, in all its forms. Diversity in customs and culture. Diversity in race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Diversity in religion and thought. And now, right here, we are celebrating regional diversity with these delicious traditional dishes.
Cynthia Telles explained some of the programs The US Embassy supports in Costa Rica and how important this is for the Embassy.
“It is why we support soccer programs for girls from underprivileged communities. It is why we offer English programs for Afro-Costa Rican youth in Limón. We provide job fairs to connect Costa Rican students from diverse backgrounds to U.S. companies. Likewise, we support projects for women, particularly in vulnerable communities, to develop skills that can help their families,” Telles commented.
The Ambassador concluded her speech by underlining the respect for diversity, democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and freedom in both countries. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done together over our 171 years of friendship,” Cynthia Telles stated.
“Tonight, we celebrate the independence of the United States as a country, but we also celebrate the strong ties that bring us together with Costa Rica. We are very different countries, but shared ideals and values unite us. From the bottom of my heart, thank you again for joining us. It has been an honor to share our nation’s independence and to celebrate our nation’s diversity with you,” she concluded.
