Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome the accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is a truly historic…
Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome the accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This is a truly historic occasion which transforms the strategic map of Europe, and strengthens the Atlantic Alliance.
In my first term in Congress, I cosponsored H. R. 4210, the NATO Participation Act of 1994. I believed then, as I continue to believe now, that NATO should be inclusive to all European nations that share our belief in democracy and the rule of law. Therefore, I am delighted to welcome the new member states to NATO.
NATO was established in 1949 for the purpose of countering the threat of Communist expansion. While that threat is now securely in the history books, the world has been forced to face new, and different dangers. Throughout the myriad of changes in international relations since NATO was first founded, the salience of a strong alliance among friendly nations remains.
As is necessary with all longstanding organizations, NATO is changing with the times. It remains the world's most powerful regional defense alliance precisely because of its ability to adapt to new conditions. NATO continues to safeguard its member states through political and military means. However, over the past 15 years, the Organization has come to play a growing role in peacekeeping and crisis management.
Originally, NATO consisted of 12 member countries. Over the years the Organization has expanded twice. Once in 1952, to include Greece and Turkey, and a second time in 1955 to include West Germany. The simultaneous accession of seven states is the largest expansion in the history of the Organization. I, for one, hope that it will not take another 50 years before we see another round of NATO expansion.
The accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to NATO cements the increasingly strong relationship between the United States and those countries. The strengthening of the Atlantic Alliance is of benefit to all parties. Moreover, Congress looks forward to the opportunity to work closely together with the new countries for shared goals.
As the Vice-President of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, I have followed closely the progress of the new NATO member states. In the past, I have had the pleasure of visiting Romania and Slovakia. Later this month, I plan to visit the Baltic region and learn more about our newest alliance partners.
In conclusion, let me again state my wholehearted support for H. Res. 558, welcoming the accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. I reiterate my hope that we will soon have occasion to celebrate the accession of more states into the Atlantic Alliance.
