On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of France as you celebrate Bastille Day this July 14. This is an opportunity for the American and French people to reflect on the lasting ties of family and friends that have guided our two countries for hundreds of years.
From the French war hero Marshal Rochambeau who fought alongside George Washington’s Continental Army, to the partnership between Eleanor Roosevelt and René Cassin who worked tirelessly to draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Franco-American collaborations are as numerous as they are deep. Our cooperation on global challenges – supporting democratic aspirations, fighting poverty and disease, halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and much more – stems from our history of shared democratic values.
On this 223rd anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, I send my deepest congratulations to the people of France and best wishes for peace and prosperity in the year ahead.
