I appear today in front of the final shipment of 800 thousand dollars of spare parts for Honduran military aircraft.
They are a small physical representation of the great cooperation that we have between the United States and Honduras.
Minister of Defense Zelaya, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Reina, Head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Vice Admiral Fortin, General McConville, distinguished representatives of the two governments.
The plane behind me is a military plane, but it is not used for attack. It is true that you can use it to transport troops and equipment, But he has another important mission. Perhaps more important:Give support to the victims, to the wounded.
May it be a soldier on the battlefield, or a farmer in his cornfield – flooded by a natural disaster.
This donation is a small part of our joint plan, under the leadership of President Castro, to modernize the Honduran air force. At the request of President Castro and directed by President Biden, we recognize and support the armed forces in their important role in responding to natural disasters.
We are working hand in hand with the Honduran government, with the armed forces, to increase their capacities to respond to the needs of the people in times of disaster and to protect the environment.
At President Castro’s request, we are helping create an air force that serves the needs of all of Honduras from Ocotepeque to Gracias a Dios. To create not only a strong military but a safe country. A prosperous country.
The important thing today is not a single donation of spare parts or technology.They are the relationships we form between the experts of the two sides and their leaders.
My country is your partner. The defense department is your partner.
We support the health system, as you saw with the arrival of the hospital ship USNS COMFORT. We support the education system, building schools where the country needs them most.
We study together. We work together, because in the end we live together like the neighbors that we are.
Thank you very much for your time, and your support to strengthen this bilateral relationship that is so important for the two peoples.
