President Biden Welcomes President William Ruto Of Kenya To The White House

4 months ago

President Biden and Kenyan President William Ruto delivered remarks on Thursday at the White House.

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Transcript

00:00 >> The President: Good morning.

00:01 (Applause.)

00:05 Hold the rain off.

00:07 President Rudow, Mrs. Rudow,

00:11 and your three lovely daughters who are here to my left.

00:15 Welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.

00:18 And all the distinguished guests,

00:20 on behalf of myself and Jill,

00:22 Vice President and Second Gentleman

00:24 and the American people,

00:26 it's an honor to welcome you to the White House

00:28 to celebrate 60 years --

00:31 60 years of partnership between Kenya and the United States.

00:34 At the stroke of midnight --

00:37 (Applause.)

00:38 -- that's worth applause.

00:40 At the stroke of midnight on December 12th, 1963,

00:45 the world changed.

00:47 Many Americans and many people around the world

00:49 watched with great hope and great anticipation

00:53 as hundreds of thousands of Kenyans came together,

00:57 raised a new flag, declared their freedom,

01:01 and gave life to a new nation.

01:04 Ladies and gentlemen, that new democracy --

01:08 that new democracy is endearing and enduring.

01:12 It was a moment that forever connected our two nations.

01:16 For while we may have been divided by distance,

01:20 we were united by the same democratic values.

01:24 I saw this during my first trip to Kenya.

01:27 As a young senator at the height of the Cold War,

01:30 and watched our governments stand as one

01:34 and prevail against communism.

01:36 I saw it when I returned years later as Vice President

01:40 and spoke to students committed to upholding

01:43 the principles of transparency, justice,

01:47 and accountability that lie at the heart of our democracies.

01:51 And I see it every day as President,

01:53 as our two proud democracies

01:56 continue to draw from the power of the people

01:59 and the strength of our diversity

02:01 to write the next chapter in our partnership.

02:04 Together, the United States and Kenya

02:08 are working to deliver on the challenges

02:10 that matter most to our people's lives --

02:13 health security, economic security,

02:16 cybersecurity, and climate security.

02:20 Mr. President, your bold leadership on this front

02:25 has been important and significantly impactful.

02:28 Ninety percent of Kenya's electricity

02:30 comes from clean energy. Ninety percent.

02:33 (Applause.)

02:35 That's worth an applause.

02:36 Over 1 million homes are powered by wind energy alone.

02:41 That's worth an applause too.

02:44 (Applause.)

02:48 An historic Africa Green Industrialization Initiative,

02:53 which you launched last year, is poised to create

02:55 similar results in so many other nations,

02:58 particularly in the continent.

03:00 Across the region, Kenya and America

03:03 are driving a race to the top with investments that we have

03:07 and high standards for workers, technology, and environment.

03:12 And we're working to ensure debt doesn't leave

03:15 these critical investments and crucial investments

03:18 out of reach for low- and middle-income countries.

03:21 Around the world, Kenya and America

03:24 are also standing united against the terror of ISIS

03:29 and al-Shabaab perpetrate in East Africa

03:32 that they continue to perpetrate in East Africa.

03:34 The aggression that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine,

03:38 the violence that has toppled too many democracies

03:42 across both our regions.

03:43 And today, as we begin the next decade of our partnership,

03:47 we've launched a new initiative

03:50 to bring our countries, companies,

03:52 and communities closer together,

03:53 because the past is our proof that we are stronger

03:58 and the world is safer when Kenya

04:01 and the United States work together.

04:03 (Applause.)

04:10 Let me close with this.

04:12 We stand at an inflection point in history

04:14 where the decisions we make now

04:17 will determine the course of our future for decades to come.

04:21 Today, I'm as optimistic and hopeful

04:25 as I was those years ago

04:28 when Kenya patriots raised that new flag

04:30 high in that midnight sky.

04:33 Because Kenya and the United States stand together,

04:36 committed to each other, committed to our people,

04:40 and committed to building a better world --

04:44 one of greater opportunity, dignity, security,

04:47 and liberty for all Americans, for all Kenyans.

04:51 God bless our partnership, and may God bless our troops.

04:55 Thank you, thank you, thank you.

04:57 (Applause.)

05:02 >> Distinguished guests,

05:04 the President of the Republic of Kenya.

05:06 (Applause.)

05:10 >> Thank you.

05:13 President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden,

05:17 Madam Vice President,

05:19 distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

05:23 Jumbo.

05:24 Let me take this opportunity in a very special way

05:29 to bring you warm greetings from the people,

05:33 the government of Kenya,

05:37 and your brothers and sisters across the African continent.

05:41 (Applause.)

05:46 I want to thank President Biden

05:48 for extending an invitation to me

05:51 to undertake this state visit --

05:53 a sign of friendship and partnership and collaboration

05:59 between two countries that share common values --

06:04 values of freedom, democracy, rule of law,

06:09 equality, and inclusivity.

06:11 We are a very proud, democratic nation.

06:16 And today, as we celebrate our past,

06:22 we are optimistic about our future.

06:25 That by undertaking this state visit,

06:30 we will have the opportunity to discuss

06:32 and to have a conversation about building global partnership

06:39 and leadership around the issues

06:42 that pose challenges regionally, globally,

06:47 and in countries like Kenya and many others --

06:51 challenges of climate change, challenges of insecurity,

06:56 challenges around death, distress.

06:59 And today, we have an occasion to build synergies,

07:06 to build partnerships that will not only solve

07:10 our current problems, but also to build a future

07:15 that is much more promising, much more prosperous,

07:19 a fairer, a freer, a healthier,

07:23 and a much more prosperous future.

07:26 I am confident --

07:28 (Applause.)

07:34 I am confident, Mr. President,

07:36 that a partnership between the United States of America

07:41 and Kenya will give us the solutions

07:45 that the world so seriously needs.

07:49 And we will be discussing a range of issues

07:54 from peace and security in our region,

07:57 recognizing the heavy lifting Kenya is doing

08:02 in supporting peace and security efforts

08:05 in the Horn of Africa, in the Great Lakes region.

08:08 And I want to say, Mr. President,

08:11 we value the support, the friendship,

08:15 and the collaboration the United States has given Kenya

08:18 and our region to make sure that we undertake

08:22 our responsibilities in securing our region.

08:26 (Applause.)

08:32 Mr. President, we will also be having the opportunity

08:36 to discuss the investment opportunities, trade.

08:40 And hopefully, we will be able to persuade the United States

08:47 to renew the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act

08:52 that gives Africa the opportunity for access to markets

08:59 so that we can create more jobs, we can create more wealth,

09:03 and we can spread prosperity across our continent.

09:07 And hopefully, also, we will conclude

09:11 on our strategic partnership --

09:14 on our strategic trade and investment partnership

09:19 that will give us the opportunity in Kenya

09:23 to work with companies in the United States

09:26 and to build greater synergy around our continent

09:30 on matters to do with trade, investment,

09:34 especially as we put together

09:36 the Africa Continental Free Trade Area

09:39 and twin it with the United States,

09:42 as we discussed at the Africa Leaders Summit last year,

09:46 giving us an opportunity to build greater partnership

09:50 between the continent of Africa and the United States.

09:55 Mr. President, I know that our menu of discussion

10:01 is broad and wide.

10:03 And I am confident that under your leadership,

10:06 we will be able to build a freer, a healthier,

10:13 and a much more prosperous Kenya,

10:15 United States, and for people around the world.

10:20 Thank you very much.

10:23 (Applause.)

President Biden Welcomes President William Ruto Of Kenya To The White House

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