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NATO REINFORCED FOR DEMOCRACY
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HON. JOE WILSON
of south carolina
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, last week, Congressman Bill Keating offered an historic resolution expressing support for Finland and Sweden to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO).
I was particularly grateful to support the resolution having just returned from a Congressional Delegation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to Helsinki, Finland, and Stockholm, Sweden.
Led by Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Co-Chairman Representative Steve Cohen of Tennessee, the U.S. delegation was grateful to meet with President Sauli Niinisto of Finland, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice President and Special Representative Pia Kauma of Finland, Foreign Minister Ann Linde of Sweden, OSCE Parliamentarv Assembly President Margareta Cederfelt, and Speaker of the Swedish Parliament Andreas Norlen,
NATO is more important than ever with war criminal Putin's mass murder in Ukraine, sacrificing young Russians for his personal gain of oil, money, and power. Tragically, many of us never imagined the insanity of a 21st Century land war in Europe.
Both Finland and Sweden enhance the peacekeeping ability of NATO with their professional militaries and extraordinary defense manufacturing capabilities to promote Peace Through Strength.
The addition of Finland would increase the border of NATO with the Russian Federation by 830-miles, which could inspire Russian patriots to reestablish democracy as a valued partner in Western Civilization.
I will be clear that democracy (rule of law) will prevail to authoritarianism (rule of gun).
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 125
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