Congressman Cohen Commemorates 70th Anniversary of NATO
WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a Member of the bicameral U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (known as The Helsinki Commission), today made the following statement commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
"NATO remains the most important and critical security link between the United States and Europe. NATO allies and partners in both Central and Eastern Europe have stood alongside the United States in joint peace operations in the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere.
"NATO stood with the United States in one of the darkest days of our history when we were attacked on 9/11. When the United States invoked Article 5, the first time done so by a country in the history of the Alliance, NATO joined our fight and is still engaged in Afghanistan to this day.
"We will continue to work to counter Russian aggression in Europe including the occupation of Georgian territory, the annexation of Crimea, continued violations of Baltic airspace and threats to Moldovan territorial integrity and sovereignty. We will stand by our allies, as they have stood by us."
Last year, Congressman Cohen introduced H. Res. 256, a resolution expressing support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. On July 11, 2018 while the President was at the NATO Summit in Brussels, Congress passed his resolution sending a strong message that no matter what President Trump says, Congress strongly supports our treaty allies and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our friends in Central and Eastern Europe.