George Voinovich: “I am a strong advocate of NATO enlargement to include Europe's new democracies. I was thrilled to have the opportunity…”

“I am a strong advocate of NATO enlargement to include Europe's new democracies. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to join President George W. Bush at the NATO Summit in Prague last November, at which time invitations for NATO membership were extended to Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. I remain deeply grateful to the President for inviting me to join him as a member of the Congressional delegation to the NATO Summit. I appreciate that the President has recognized my lifelong passion for the inclusion of the former Captive Nations as members of the NATO Alliance, and I was proud to be in the room on November 21, 2002, when NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson officially announced the decision to invite seven countries to become part of the Alliance. As Lord Robertson articulated on that historic day, the decision to include these new members will serve to strengthen the Alliance as it prepares to confront new challenges to global security.”