Washington, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today made the following statement regarding the passage of a Senate resolution in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in recognition of the great accomplishments the organization has made over the past 70 years:
“It is because NATO is so imperative to peace and stability in the U.S. and abroad that the alliance has the support of nearly every member of Congress – assuredly every member of the Senate, which passed this resolution unanimously today,” said Risch “NATO is and will continue to be the most successful political-military alliance in the world precisely because it defends common values and principles like democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. America is committed to NATO and we look forward to making the next 70 years as successful as the last 70 years.”
Full text of the resolution can be found here .
Yesterday, Risch welcomed Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of NATO, to the U.S. Capitol and reiterated Congress’ support for the alliance. Stoltenberg was in Washington for meetings with U.S. leaders surrounding the 70-year anniversary of NATO, which was founded on April 4, 1949.
Earlier this week, Chairman Risch convened a hearing titled, " NATO at 70: A Strategic Partnership for the 20 th Century.” Risch also coauthored an op-ed in The Hill with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), who chairs the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation.