Sec. 1280. Sense of Congress on future of NATO and enlargement initiatives
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Congress declares that— the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)has been the cornerstone of transatlantic security cooperation and an enduring instrument for promoting stability in Europe and around the world for over 65 years; the incorporation of the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, and Croatia has been essential to the success of NATO in this modern era; these countries have over time added to and strengthened the list of key European allies of the United States; since joining NATO, these member states have remained committed to the collective defense of the Alliance and have demonstrated their will and ability to contribute to transatlantic solidarity and assume increasingly more responsibility for international peace and security; since joining the Alliance, these NATO members states have contributed to numerous NATO-led peace, security, and stability operations, including participation in the International Security Assistance Force’s
(ISAF)mission in Afghanistan; these NATO member states have become reliable partners and supporters of aspiring members and the United States recognizes their continued efforts to aid in further enlargement initiatives; at the 2014 Summit in Wales, NATO declared that The Open Door Policy under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty is one of the Alliance’s great successes. ; and at the 2014 Summit in Wales, NATO declared that NATO’s door will remain open to all European democracies which share the values of our Alliance, which are willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership, which are in a position to further the principles of the Treaty, and whose inclusion will contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area. . It is the sense of Congress that— the United States should— continue to work with aspirant countries to prepare such countries for entry into NATO; seek NATO membership for Montenegro; continue supporting a Membership Action Plan
(MAP)for Georgia; encourage the leaders of Macedonia and Greece to find a mutually agreeable solution to the name dispute between the two countries; seek a Dayton II agreement to resolve the constitutional issues of Bosnia and Herzegovina; work with the Republic of Kosovo to prepare the country for entrance into the Partnership for Peace
(PfP)program; take a leading role in working with NATO member states to identify, through consensus, the current and future security threats facing the Alliance; and take a leading role to work with NATO allies to ensure the Alliance maintains the required capabilities, including the gains in interoperability from combat in Afghanistan, necessary to meet the security threats to the Alliance; NATO member states should review defense spending to ensure sufficient funding is obligated to meet NATO responsibilities; and the United States should remain committed to maintaining a military presence in Europe as a means of promoting allied interoperability and providing visible assurance to NATO allies in the region.