For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 29, 2004
President Bush Welcomes Seven Nations to the NATO Alliance
Remarks by the President on the Enlargement of NATO
The South Lawn
3:42 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Good afternoon, and welcome to the
White House.
Fifty-five years ago, the representatives of 12 nations gathered
here in Washington to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, which established
the most successful military alliance in history. Today, we proudly
welcome Bulgaria -- (applause) -- Estonia -- (applause) -- Latvia --
(applause) -- Lithuania -- (applause) -- Romania -- (applause) --
Slovakia -- (applause) --and Slovenia. (Applause.) We welcome them
into the ranks of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. (Applause.)
When NATO was founded, the people of these seven nations were
captives to an empire. They endured bitter tyranny, they struggled for
independence, they earned their freedom through courage and
perseverance. And today they stand with us as full and equal partners
in this great alliance. (Applause.)
It has been my honor to host the Prime Ministers of each new NATO
member in the Oval Office. I want to thank them for their friendship,
I want to thank them for their leadership. I look forward to working
with them to make the world more peaceful and more free. Welcome to
America. (Applause.)
I want to thank the foreign and defense ministers of the new NATO
members who are with us today. I want to thank the Prime Ministers of
Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, who are with us today. (Applause.)
Jaap de Hoop Scheffer is with us today, who is the Secretary General of
NATO. Thank you for coming, Mr. Secretary General. I thank the
Ambassadors of all the members of NATO, both old and new.
I want to thank the Vice President, Secretary of State Powell,
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, General Dick Myers, General Jones,
members of my administration. I want to thank the members of Congress
who are with us today; Majority Leader Bill Frist of the United States
Senate; members of the Senate which voted unanimously in support of the
admission of the new members that we welcome today. (Applause.) I
want to thank the members of the House of Representatives who have
joined us today. I want to thank those who are here today whose vision
years ago helped make this moment a reality. I want to thank other
distinguished guests. Welcome.
Today marks a great achievement for each of the nations joining our
alliance. All member nations of NATO must be free and democratic and
fully committed to defending the principles of liberty. All member
nations must be willing, and able, to contribute to the common defense
of our alliance. Our seven new members have built free institutions,
they've increased their military capabilities in the span of a decade.
They are stronger nations because of that remarkable effort -- and the
NATO alliance is made stronger by their presence. (Applause.)
Since NATO's founding, the assurance of mutual defense has been a
safeguard for peace. As President Truman said, "By this treaty, we are
not only seeking to establish freedom from aggression and from the use
of force in the North Atlantic community, but we are also actively
striving to promote and preserve peace throughout the world."
Under NATO's banner, the nations of Europe put aside rivalries that
had divided the continent for centuries. NATO members stood watch on
freedom's borders for two generations of the Cold War. Because of
NATO's vigilance, free people lifted the Iron Curtain, and tore down
the Berlin Wall and replaced dictators with democratic governments.
In the aftermath of this victory, some questioned whether NATO
could -- or should -- survive the end of the Cold War. Then the
alliance proved its enduring worth by stopping ethnic cleansing in
Bosnia, and by ousting the armies of a tyrant in Kosovo. Some wondered
whether NATO could adapt to the new threats of the 21st century. Those
doubts were laid to rest on September the 12th, 2001, when NATO invoked
-- for the first time in its history -- Article Five of our charter,
which states that an attack against one NATO ally is an attack against
all. (Applause.)
NATO's core mission remains the same: the defense of its members
against any aggression. Today, our alliance faces a new enemy, which
has brought death to innocent people from New York to Madrid.
Terrorists hate everything this alliance stands for. They despise our
freedom, they fear our unity, they seek to divide us. They will fail.
We will not be divided. (Applause.) We will never bow to the violence
of a few. We will never -- we will face the mortal danger of
terrorism, and we will overcome it together. (Applause.)
The countries we welcome today were friends before they were
allies, and they were allies in action before becoming allies by
treaty. Today, all seven of these nations are helping to bring lasting
freedom to Afghanistan and Iraq. Bulgaria provided refueling
facilities during the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom, and has
deployed more than 400 soldiers to Iraq. (Applause.) Military
engineers from Estonia and Latvia are helping to clear explosive
devices from Iraq. (Applause.) Forces from Lithuania and Slovakia are
helping to secure Iraq. (Applause.) Romanian troops have sacrificed
their lives fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. (Applause.) And
troops from Slovenia are serving in the international force that is
protecting the city of Kabul in Afghanistan. (Applause.)
Forces from Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia are also contributing
in Afghanistan or Iraq -- proving their mettle as they aspire to NATO
membership. (Applause.) These three nations, joined together under
the Adriatic Charter, are building strong democracies at home that can
contribute to NATO efforts abroad. The United States supports these
efforts. The door to NATO will remain open until the whole of Europe
is united in freedom and in peace. (Applause.)
As witness to some of the great crimes of the last century, our new
members bring moral clarity to the purposes of the Alliance. They
understand our cause in Afghanistan and in Iraq, because tyranny for
them is still a fresh memory. These nations know that when great
democracies fail to confront danger, far worse peril can follow. They
know that aggression, left unchecked, can rob millions of their liberty
and their lives. And so now, as members of NATO, they are stepping
forward to secure the lives and freedom of others. (Applause.)
The NATO alliance now flies seven new flags, and reaches from the
Bay of Biscay to the Black Sea. And Europe -- once the source of
global conflict -- is now a force for stability and peace.
Our great transatlantic alliance has met and overcome great dangers
in the past, and our work in NATO is not done. In the past, many
assumed that NATO represented a pledge that America would come to the
aid of Europe. Today, by our words and by our actions, we know that
NATO means much more -- it is a solemn commitment that America and
Europe are joined together to advance the cause of freedom and peace.
(Applause.)
NATO is acting to meet the challenges of our time. NATO forces are
securing Afghanistan, NATO ships are patrolling the Mediterranean, and
NATO is supporting the Polish-led division in Iraq. NATO is widening
the circle of its friends, by creating a new chapter in our
relationship with Russia. NATO members are reaching out to the nations
of the Middle East, to strengthen our ability to fight terror, and to
provide for our common security. And we're discussing how we can
support and increase the momentum of freedom in the greater Middle
East.
Our unity and our commitment to freedom carried us to victory in
the Cold War, and they showed us the way to victory in the war on
terror. Together, Europe and America can lead peaceful nations against
the dangers of our time. Europe and America can advance freedom, and
give hope and support to those who seek to lift the yoke of isolation
and fear and oppression. That is the mission that history has set for
NATO -- this great and confident alliance of 26 nations -- and we
proudly accept this mission.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
END 3:54 P.M. EST
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