Boozman, Ross Represent U.S. At NATO Meeting

Press Release

U.S. Representatives John Boozman (AR-03) and Mike Ross (AR-04) recently returned from the 2009 Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO-PA) in Oslo, Norway. Over 300 parliamentarians from the 28 NATO-member countries from North America and Europe as well as delegates from partner countries gathered to discuss global cooperation in dealing with important issues such as the global economic recession and containing the threat of international terrorism. The May 23 - May 26 conference was followed by additional NATO-PA meetings in Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden, which concluded May 30.

Boozman and Ross, both appointed by House leadership to represent the United States in the NATO-PA, participated in briefings, discussions and working sessions with leaders and parliamentarians of the NATO-member countries. Boozman and Ross are also members of the House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee.

"We must continue to show our willingness to cooperate with countries around the world during these tough economic times and through the hostilities growing around the globe. We had very frank and timely discussions with fellow members of NATO Parliament about the recent nuclear and missile tests of North Korea and the possibility of a nuclear Iran and how this will impact our defense alliance with Europe," Boozman said. "These briefings are an important aspect of meeting the security challenges we face in the 21st Century."

Ross presented a report called, "Pakistan - A Test of Trans-Atlantic Cooperation" where he discussed the country's important role in regional and international security, especially in fighting the Taliban. He also discussed how through international cooperation, groups like NATO can work together with potential allies like Pakistan to reduce the threat terrorists pose to each of our countries.

"As we become more globally interconnected in the 21st century, it is crucial that we talk to one another, develop key relationships and partnerships and work together to address the important issues of our time, especially the economy and terrorism," said Ross. "Through these back-to-back meetings and briefings, we presented the United States' international priorities and discussed how we could work together to make Americans, and the rest of the world, safer and more prosperous."

May 23-25 was devoted to the meetings of NATO-PA's five committees (Political, Defense and Security, Science and Technology, Civil Dimension of Security, Economics and Security). They discussed reports on a broad range of security and defense topics and were addressed by high level guest speakers from government, academia and NATO.

The Plenary session on May 26 was addressed by NATO PA's President, Congressman John Tanner (United States); Jens Stolenberg, Prime Minister of Norway; Thorbjørn Jagland, President of the Storting; Kai Eide, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan; and, the Speakers of the Parliaments of NATO's two newest members, Albania and Croatia.

The key note addresses were followed by a joint meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the North Atlantic Council, chaired by NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and followed by a question and answer period on topical issues.

On May 25, the U.S. Delegation attended a Memorial Day service on a U.S. Navy destroyer ship docked in Norway, which was headed the following day to fight pirates off the Somalia coast.

The U.S. Delegation then traveled to Helsinki, Finland, where they participated in roundtable discussions at Parliament with parliamentarians from Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees, the Finnish Delegation to NATO PA, and the Finnish-American Caucus.

On May 29, the U.S. Delegation traveled to Stockholm for a Parliamentary Defense Caucus meeting and other meetings with the Swedish Delegation to the NATO-PA; Swedish Defense Minister Sten Tolgfors; and, Frank Belfrage, State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden.

The trip concluded on May 30 when the U.S. Delegation briefed NATO and European Union (EU) leaders on U.S. priorities followed by discussions on national security issues, focusing on NATO's role in global affairs.

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