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Open Letter From Ambassador Sands on the Occasion of 9/11
U.S. Department of State Commemorating the 19th Anniversary of 9/11

Commemorating the 19th Anniversary of 9/11

4 MINUTE READ
September 11, 2020

Dear Friends:

The events of 2020 have tested our resolve in ways we couldn’t have imagined back in January.  As our communities recover, our schools restart, and our economies get back on track, it is important to remember another time — after the terrible events of September 11, 2001 — when we had to be resilient and how the global community helped pull us through a dark moment in our history.

Today marks the 19th year that has passed since civilian planes crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 innocent people – including citizens from more than 60 countries – and devastating the lives of countless others.  As America rebuilt itself from the wreckage of that day, we were stronger because we had friends like Denmark who stood with us during those difficult times.  It was Denmark and other NATO Allies and coalition partners who came to America’s defense after 9/11 by invoking Article 5 – which says that an attack against one of our democracies is an attack against all of us.

As Western countries joined together to defend the idea of democracy after 9/11, we must continue to do so in the face of new and emerging threats around the world.  America promised that we would never forget the civilians and first responders who perished that day, and our NATO allies have helped us keep that promise.

Today, 19 years later, we must keep honoring the memory of those who died in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by being resilient, investing more in our collective security, and standing together to defend our shared democratic values.  By doing so, and by relying on the strength of the U.S.-Kingdom of Denmark alliance, like minded democracies around the world will continue to thrive and to successfully meet any challenges ahead of us.