Speeches

Remarks by Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Stephen Schwartz, at the
Thanksgiving Gala Dinner of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham)

Sugar Beach Hotel, Flic en Flac
November 26, 2005

Thank you.

AmCham President Lee Koenig,
Amcham Board Members,
Distinguished Guests, 

Good evening.  It is my pleasure to join you for the American Chamber of Commerce’s third annual Thanksgiving Gala Dinner. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, let me thank Lee and the rest of the AmCham board for their hard work over the past year.  Their dedication and creativity have helped AmCham to establish itself as an increasingly important presence in the business community of Mauritius.  I would also like to thank AmCham for organizing tonight’s event and giving us all the opportunity to share a Thanksgiving meal together.   

Next, I would like to recognize the charity being honored tonight, Palliative Care Mauritius, for its work caring for the terminally ill.  We all admire your dedication and determination to provide comfort during the most difficult of times.   

Each year, Thanksgiving reminds us to reflect back on the past year and make note of all the things for which we are thankful.  I am thankful that AmCham and the U.S. Embassy continue to work together to build the U.S.-Mauritius commercial relationship.  We collaborated closely for the June 2005 visit of Daeman Harris, the Director of Middle East and Africa Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington.  We look forward to continuing our joint efforts and to supporting AmCham as they gear up for the Regional AmCham conference in March of 2006.  This event has strong support from the U.S. Government and I anticipate senior level participation.

The U.S. Government continues to promote commercial opportunities between Mauritius and the U.S.  The African Growth and Opportunity Act, provides for duty-free imports into the U.S. for over 6000 products.  We will continue to work with Mauritian firms to widen the range of items they seek to export.  There have already been two trade capacity building initiatives announced at the AGOA Forum in Dakar, Senegal, in July; a Trade and Investment Mission for agribusiness organized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture held in Johannesburg and a Regional Sectoral Workshop focused on textiles, handicrafts, and leather held in Addis Ababa.

Here in Mauritius, business opportunities abound.  Recent U.S. business developments in Mauritius include the partnership between a local and a leading U.S. tuna company.  The firm has begun exporting tuna loin to the U.S. market under a supply agreement signed with the U.S. company.  A large U.S. construction firm recently visited Mauritius to investigate business opportunities.  Teleforma has established itself in the BPO sector in the Cyber Tower.  Casamar Holdings, a world leader in the assembly and repair of commercial fishing nets, continues to operate in the Freeport to service fishing vessels operating in the Indian Ocean.  An American company distributes Mauritian rum in the United States under the Star Africa Rum label.   

In the spirit of the American Thanksgiving celebration, I think we can be thankful for the past year’s accomplishments as we look forward to a bountiful 2006 for the AMCHAM and the U.S.-Mauritian business relationships which it represents.

On a final note, I would like to pay a special salute to, Dr. Tawfik Ramtoolah, a technical advisor from the U.S. Department of the Treasury who we are proud to tell you became an American citizen earlier this month.  Congratulations Tawfik!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.