Saturday 31 October 2015

[wanabidii] Press Releases: Remarks at Embassy Bishkek Meet and Greet

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Press Releases: Remarks at Embassy Bishkek Meet and Greet
10/31/2015 03:56 PM EDT

Remarks at Embassy Bishkek Meet and Greet


Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Embassy Bishkek
Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
October 31, 2015

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Salamatsyzdarby. I’m happy to be here. Thank you very, very much.

Kids, you guys look great. I am so jealous. (Laughter.) Number one, I’d love to get dressed up in a costume, and number two, you made me think of my grandson and granddaughter who are going trick-or-treating tonight in Boston and I’m not there. So I feel very badly about that. But would you guys come up here? Because I want you all to be up – I want a picture with all these (inaudible). Come on up here. Come on. (Applause.) Let me get all – these guys look so fantastic. All right. Come on up here.

Folks, this is what I’m surrounded by every single day. (Laughter.) People in costumes pretending to get things done – (laughter) – but all they’re really after is a little bit of candy. (Laughter.) Right?

(Crying.)

Aw, I feel badly about – but he – you can come up with him. You sit with him; he’ll be fine. He’ll be happy.

Do we got everybody here? So can everybody be seen? Okay. I want you to tell me about your costume. Who are you today?

PARTICIPANT: I’m a unicorn.

SECRETARY KERRY: You’re a unicorn. I love unicorns. (Laughter.) It’s one of my favorite – I’ve been looking for one all my life.

And you are what?

PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible.)

SECRETARY KERRY: A what?

PARTICIPANT: (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: I love it. Okay. Now, who’s the tiger down here? Hey man. Who’s that? Oh, he’s a what?

PARTICIPANT: He’s Gabriel.

SECRETARY KERRY: Gabriel. All right. Gabriel’s busy I guess. (Laughter.)

PARTICIPANT: I’m some random cloud. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: I love the random cloud. Where are you guys going to trick or treat? Where are you going to go? Are you going to go around – do you guys have a – how do you do that?

PARTICIPANT: We have what we call trunk or treat.

SECRETARY KERRY: Trunk or treat?

PARTICIPANT: We don’t live together, and –

SECRETARY KERRY: Right. That’s why I wondered how you do it, because –

PARTICIPANT: We pool together in a parking lot, sir, and open up the –

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh, that’s so cool. Good for you.

PARTICIPANT: And we have – someone has a haunted house later tonight.

SECRETARY KERRY: That’s really exciting. Well, listen. I’m not going to take a lot of time while I’m surrounded by all these trick-or-treaters. But let me just say a profound thank you to everybody. It’s a privilege for me to be here. Sheila Gwaltney, thank you for the great job that you are doing here as ambassador. And thank you to every single one of you, whether you are in an agency or whether you are full-time Foreign Service or civil service. And would all the local employees, would you raise your hand, everybody’s who’s a local employee? We all want to say thank you to you. (Applause.) Thank you so much for all you do.

Let me find out quickly if – is Mikhail Galush here? Mikhail is not here? Well, will you tell Mikhail, because he’s been working here for 23 years, and we want to say a special thank you. And I don’t know if Vladistat Sadisky – not here also? Please mention that I called them out publicly, embarrassed them that they weren’t here. (Laughter.) But we’re really very, very grateful for both of them. And Irena Toltsyova? Not here also. There she – over here? Irena? (Applause.) Yay, Irena. Thank you. She celebrated 22 years at the post. (Applause.) Thank you so much for doing that. I really appreciate that.

Now, I’ll just say it very quickly to everybody: Look, 24 years is not the longest time, but what an important journey for a country that is trying to embrace transformation, democracy, a future built really on what we have been working still to perfect ourselves for 300-plus years. And I just want to say thank you to all of you for being people who wake up in the morning and go to work wanting to change life for other people, and who work to carry our country’s interests and our values with you every single day. I can’t tell you how important it is. This is a world in massive transformation. And with the internet and the challenges of social media and constant communications and change, it’s complicated.

So these kids are telling me – (laughter) – don’t keep going on. We’ve got to get this done. So I just want – I think you get the message: On behalf of President Obama and every single American, we want to thank each of you for being part of this great journey. And keep doing what you’re doing, and now working in this incredible building. It’s a blessing for everybody.

So God bless you all. Happy Halloween; have fun tonight and tomorrow, and well into the future. Take care and God bless. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.) Thanks, guys. I’m happy to see you. You all look wonderful.


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