TIRANA, Sept. 11 – The United States embassy in Tirana held a ceremony Monday to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that caused some 3,000 victims there. Following is a speech by the U.S. Ambassador Marcie B. Ries at the ceremony, during which a magnolia tree was also planted as a symbol.
Today we are here to remember the 3,000 innocent people who lost their lives in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. In ceremonies like this across America and all over the world, we are recalling this tragedy and extend our sympathies to the family and friends they left behind. Today we are also here to thank the men and women in public service who demonstrated such courage and determination on that day and in the days and weeks afterwards. We remember the heroic efforts of the firemen, security agents, military, police, and citizens on September 11, 2001. Remembering their efforts, and their losses, we are reminded what the phrase “service to your country” really means.
We are honored to have members of the U.S. armed forces, Diplomatic Security, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who gave then – and continue to give – service to their country – join me here today. In the days after the attack, Sue Ostrobinski and Daniel Garrabrant worked around the clock for days and weeks coordinating with all levels of law enforcement to begin tracking those who attacked the U.S. They are here, in Albanian, to pass on their expertise through the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, to your fellow countrymen, represented today by the five Albanian State Police Officers standing with us.
It is equally important to fight for values and principles that are universal. Across all borders, we share a common humanity. While the color of our skin, the language we speak, or the way we worship may be different, people everywhere aspire to speak their minds, participate freely in their society, pursue opportunities for their families, and live in peace and security. That is why we are working together to defeat the ideology of hate and foster a climate of hope and opportunity for all the world’s peoples. Americans and Albanians are working together to secure not only the borders of this country, but also to promote democracy and prosperity to the citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere. So as we look back on September 11, we honor those who have taken the oath to serve their fellow man with strength, unity, and allegiance and the conviction that all people everywhere are equal and equally deserving of justice, respect, opportunity, and dignity. So I commend all of you and the others whom you represent, for your service and for your commitment – and yes, courage – in dedicating yourselves to protecting your fellow man and the values in which we all believe. Please join me in a moment of silence as we remember those who have fallen and honor those who will continue to serve and protect all of us.
Thank you. I would like to ask Bajram Ibraj, Director General of the Albanian State Police, to help me plant this magnolia tree not only as a symbol for those heroes who are no longer with us, but for those who will follow their example.
The plaque next to the tree carries a quote from Maya Angelou:
“History, despite its wrenching pain,
cannot be unlived,
but if faced with courage,
need not be lived again”
Albanian parliament held a minute of silence for the day. Both President Alfred Moisiu and Prime Minister Sali Berisha hailed the determination of the United States to fight terrorism worldwide and repeated Albania’s support to the process.
