Washington, DC - Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: On behalf of the people and Government of the United States, I extend my sincere congratulations on your National Day.
We are proud of the deep partnership between the United States and Sweden. Approximately four million Americans can trace their roots back to Sweden. Today, we trade $25 billion in goods and services and we invest more than a combined $80 billion in each other’s economies, creating thousands of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. From the 2,000 troops Sweden contributed to the Trident Juncture military exercise last fall, to your trainers in Iraq as part of the Defeat-ISIS coalition and in Afghanistan as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission, Sweden is also a vital security partner to the United States and a valued NATO Enhanced Opportunities Partner.
I want to thank Sweden for your tireless advocacy in support of U.S. citizens, as the United States’ protecting power in North Korea, and for supporting denuclearization efforts. Thank you also for chairing our Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe, through which the United States works with all eight of our Nordic-Baltic partners, this past year.
Grattis! My best wishes to the people of Sweden on your National Day and the 210th anniversary of your constitution.