Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires, a.i., Jeff Daigle at the Opening Ceremony for Pacific Partnership 2012

July 29, 2012 | Sihanoukville

(as prepared for delivery)

H.E. Sbong Sarath, Governor of Sihanoukville; U.S. and Cambodian Armed Forces; USNS Mercy personnel; ladies and gentleman.

It is an honor to be here this morning to welcome the USNS Mercy and the Pacific Partnership program back to Cambodia for the second time. 

Over the next two weeks, Pacific Partnership personnel will undertake an intense schedule to provide free medical treatment and veterinary services in four Cambodian provinces where access to such care is extremely limited.  The Pacific Partnership team looks forward to working hand-in-hand with doctors, dentists, and nurses from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), as well as with Cambodian veterinarians, to provide these services to Cambodians in need.

To complement the medical and veterinary care, the Pacific Partnership team will conduct numerous other activities throughout the country.  Professional exchanges with different organizations on a wide range of topics – including medical preparedness for disasters, basic hygiene, solar power usage, and water filtration – will allow Cambodian and American participants to learn from each other and develop new capabilities.  Through more than 30 community outreach events, the Pacific Partnership team will distribute 90 pallets worth of donated goods to orphanages and NGOs.  Also, RCAF and U.S. Seabee engineers are working side-by-side to complete maternity wards for clinics in Takeo, Kampot, and Sihanoukville to provide expectant mothers a safe environment in which to bring their new children into the world.  Although today is the official opening of Pacific Partnership, these military engineers have already been hard at work for the last month to ensure these important projects are completed by the time Pacific Partnership departs Cambodia. 

As you can see, this is a huge mission, and over 1,200 personnel from the Mercy will be involved in these activities.  In addition to U.S. military personnel, we are pleased to have on board the USNS Mercy medical personnel from many other Pacific Partnership nations, including Australia, Canada, South Korea, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. 

Pacific Partnership is only made possible through the outstanding collaboration of the participating nations.  We are honored that Cambodia is one of the hosts for this year’s exercise and has been intimately involved in both the planning and execution of the activities.  Pacific Partnership 2012 will serve to strengthen not only the U.S. relationship with Cambodia, but also the regional relationships that are vital to an effective response in the event of a natural disaster.

I would like to thank the leadership of the Royal Government of Cambodia for its support, especially the assistance of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces; the Ministry of Health; and the Ministry of Agriculture, Farms, and Fisheries.  The guidance, insight, and logistical support you have provided have been critical in making the visit of the Mercy a success. 

And finally, I would like to thank all of the personnel of the USNS Mercy for your hard work and dedication.  Through your selfless efforts, you will truly improve the lives of thousands of Cambodians.

Thank you.