Remarks by Ambassador Douale at the Ceremony of Presentation of Credentials

Remarks by

His Excellency M. Mohamed Siad Douale
Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti
To the United States of America

At the Ceremony of Presentation of Credentials
Washington, D.C.
January 25, 2016

Your Excellency the President of the United States of America
Mr. Barack Obama,

I have the immense privilege and the great honor to present to Your Excellency the letter of Credence by which His Excellency President Ismail Omar Guelleh of the Republic of Djibouti appoints me as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Djibouti.

At the outset, allow me to convey to you Mr. President the warm greetings of President Ismail Omar Guelleh and extend, through your Excellency the best wishes of the Government and People of Djibouti to the Government and people of the United States of America.

Mr. President, I welcome this opportunity to pay tribute to my predecessor, the late Ambassador of Djibouti, H.E. Roble Olhaye. He represented his country here over twenty seven years, and had led the diplomatic community in Washington for nearly a decade. He was a tireless advocate for Djibouti, working to promote its interests and that of the continent. His dedication and numerous contributions to serving the interests of our country has helped strengthen the relationship between Djibouti and the United States. We mourn the passing away of Roble Olhaye, as a colleague and friend and Djibouti is forever grateful for his service. We are grateful for the assistance provided to him for the many years he was here, and for your kind remarks and tribute.
Since the establishment of the diplomatic ties between our two countries, the relationship has grown steadily and smoothly.

We share common values and we share a strong commitment to contribute jointly to the emergence of a freer, more secure and more prosperous world. We, in particular, work hand in hand to make the Horn of Africa an inhospitable terrain for extremists and terrorists. The historic meeting at the White House in May 2014 was a major breakthrough in the already excellent existing relationships between our two countries.

It produced tangible outcomes and helped identify priority areas. Indeed, the two nations have started a very promising conversation on a range of important issues, including security cooperation, economic development, energy and education.

We have already agreed to strengthen economic partnership and pledged to work together to implement the recent legislation, “Djibouti first” that seeks to give preference to Djiboutian companies to win goods and services contracts at Camp Lemonier.

We value very much the launch of US-Djibouti Binational Forum which is a vehicle through which our two countries can develop and advance economic and development goals that are beneficial to both countries.

Under the wise guidance and leadership of President Ismael Omar Guelleh, we have invested in infrastructure development with the ultimate aim of positioning Djibouti as a leading force in regional economic integration and allowing the Horn of Africa to occupy an important position in an increasing globalized market.

We strive to build a genuinely attractive business environment for foreign companies.

We count on the United States of America to help us catalyze private financing to develop our economy.

Excellency,

As Djibouti Ambassador to the United States of America, I will tirelessly endeavor to further the cooperation between our two countries and enhance the friendly ties between our two people. I wish again to reiterate my profound gratitude for having been given the opportunity to undertake this extremely honorable and important mission. I’m convinced that during my tenure, the relations between our two countries will thrive and our people will work in an even closer union.

I’m confident that I can count on the support of your Excellency and the United States government.

I thank you Mr. President.