Tillis, Shaheen announce Finland and Sweden end two-part CODE to the NATO sum …
WASHINGTON, DC – This week, the US senators have Thom Tillins (R-NC) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Co-Chair of the Observatory for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), announced two more stops at their two-part delegation to the NATO summit in Spain later this month. The senators will travel to Finland and Sweden ahead of the NATO summit to confirm US support for their historic application process to join the transatlantic alliance.
Senators plans to join Tillis and Shaheen’s two-part delegation include: Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Chris Coons (D-DE), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Roy Blunt (R- MO), and Joni Ernst (R-IA). The senators will represent the US Senate in meetings with NATO allies and aspirant countries to emphasize US support for NATO.
“Sweden and Finland are both important for the strength of NATO’s military border and for deterring future Russian aggression, and their accession to the NATO alliance will be a historic expansion.” said Senator Tillis. “Senator Shaheen and I unequivocally support their intention to join, and we look forward to visiting both nations to strengthen support before returning home to lead the Senate’s ratification of their accession.”
“Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine triggered a campaign of unspeakable violence against the civilian population, and his intention to continue this war and expand its scope calls for a strong condemnation from the international community. Expanding the transatlantic territory The alliance to include Finland and Sweden sends a clear message to Putin that the international community will not allow him the right to veto NATO membership. “ in Senator Shaheen. “As our delegation prepares to travel to the NATO summit at the end of the month, we believe it is important to reaffirm strong support in the United States – across party lines – for a stronger, more united NATO ahead of Putin’s war. against our meetings in Helsinki and Stockholm, and now with increased bipartisan participation in our group, we encourage legislators in the United States to support Finland and Sweden’s rapid accession to the alliance. ”
As co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, Tillis and Shaheen recently led a two-party coalition of lawmakers in a joint statement of support and a letter to President Bidencalling for Finlands and Sweden’s rapid accession to NATO in response to the respective nations announcing their intention to join the transatlantic alliance.
The Senate NATO Observatory, re-established by Tillis and Shaheen in 2018, has an expanded mission to closely monitor and inform senators outside national security committees about Alliance defense spending, the process of upgrading military capabilities, the Alliance’s counter-terrorism capabilities, NATO enlargement and NATO members’ ability to with non-conventional warfare. In February, Tillis and Shaheen issued a joint two-part statement marking the four-year anniversary of the Senate’s NATO Observer Group and its expansion to include Chris Coons (D-DE), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), John Barrasso (R-WY), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Angus King (I-ME) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN).
###