President Barack Obama delivers a speech at Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda in Santiago, Chile,
“Latin America is at peace…”
“Latin America is democratic…”
“Latin America is growing…”
“Latin America is coming together to address shared challenges…”
“And increasingly, Latin America is contributing to global prosperity and security…”
With these refrains, the President described “the Latin America that I see today — a region on the move, proud of its progress, and ready to assume a greater role in world affairs.” The speech in Santiago, Chile included perhaps his most expansive vision for strengthened alliances across our hemisphere, although as he pointed out, these relationships have been a priority since the beginning of his presidency as demonstrated by his trip in his first few months to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas.
He began his remarks with a tribute to Chile as a leading example of today’s Latin America, emerging from decades of turmoil towards a future of hope and progress. He quoted legendary Chilean poet Pablo Neruda:
And in a world of sometimes wrenching pain — as we’re seeing today in Japan — it is the character of this country that inspires. “Our original guiding stars,” said Pablo Neruda, “are struggle and hope.” But, he added, “there is no such thing as a lone struggle, no such thing as a lone hope.” The Chilean people have shown this time and again, including your recovery from the terrible earthquake here one year ago.
He went on to discuss what has been the primary purpose of his trip, namely to find paths for joint economic growth and promote American exports:
Fonte: White House