Executive Session
Floor Speech
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Mr. RISCH. 946 and 947 be withdrawn.
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Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, I rise today to support the accession of the Republic of North Macedonia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and to encourage my Senate colleagues to vote in favor of this protocol.
As we know, this past April marked the 70th anniversary of the NATO alliance, the world's strongest and most successful political military alliance in the history of the world.
In honor of this, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing to reflect on the alliance's successful past and to consider its future. The Senate also passed and recognized NATO's many accomplishments, and the resolution I authored, S. Res. 123, did so. I am grateful to have another opportunity to demonstrate strong Senate support for NATO by welcoming North Macedonia as a new member. As we all know, this matter has been in the works for a long time.
NATO was founded by the United States and 11 other countries after the shock of the Soviet blockade of Berlin. The Berlin airlift in 1948 made us realize the significant and real threat that the Soviet Union posed to peace and prosperity. That conflict is far behind us, but NATO has remained a critical piece of the framework that supports our collective security.
NATO worked to help the United States in Afghanistan after the attacks of September 11 and has ended genocides and maintained peace in the Balkans. It has trained troops of the new Iraqi Government; it has run air policing missions on Europe's eastern flank; it has helped end the genocide in Darfur; and it provided assistance to the United States after Hurricane Katrina. Most importantly, it has maintained a period of unprecedented peace among the major European powers.
NATO has proven to be not only a military success but also a political and economic one. NATO's security umbrella has provided the kind of stable environment necessary for economic growth and investment. Former Soviet bloc countries clamored for--and continue to clamor for--NATO membership, not only for the protection against Russia that they sought and seek but for the economic strength that membership could foster.
U.S. trade with fellow NATO members remains vital to the U.S. economy. NATO allies remain the largest source of foreign, direct investment to the United States.
NATO is not perfect. It faces several challenges from within. First is the need to invest more in defense. Those of us who serve on the Foreign Relations Committee have for many, many years urged our friends and colleagues--the majority of whom are not in compliance--about the need to invest more in defense. But the number of allies spending 2 percent of their GDP on defense and 20 percent of their defense budget on equipment has increased, adding more than $100 billion in European defense spending. Eight allies currently meet this pledge, but it is critical that all allies meet their Wales Summit commitment by 2024.
Second, NATO faces different security threats in different parts of the alliance. Southern Europe is understandably worried about migrant flows, while Eastern Europe faces the challenge of Russian military buildup along its borders and domestic disinformation campaigns sowing disorder by the Russians, just as we know Russia has attempted to do here in the USA.
NATO has recently begun to think about security risks that China poses to individual allies and the alliance as a whole.
Tackling all of these security risks will be challenging. But if NATO allies commit to the alliance and needed reforms, NATO will be up to the task.
Bringing a new member into the alliance also prompts us to reassess the status of current members, and I feel compelled to address the growing discussion regarding NATO allies that do not uphold the democratic principles enshrined in the treaty's preamble.
I agree that there are NATO allies whose democracies are weakening instead of strengthening and whose recent behavior does not demonstrate a commitment to the alliance. To fix these issues, the alliance must work from within.
There is no other alliance in the world like NATO. China and Russia do not have allies. They have short-term, transactional-only partners they have bullied into cooperation. NATO's strength and success come from its commitment to the allies and to working through problems when they arise.
On the expansion of NATO itself, which is what we are here to deal with today, since 1949, NATO has expanded 7 times and now includes 29 countries. The entrance of North Macedonia will make 30. Adding a 30th member during the alliance's 70th year sends a strong signal to our fellow allies and enemies alike of the continued strength of this alliance.
The U.S. Senate's consideration of North Macedonia as a member of NATO is a piece of long-delayed and unfinished business. North Macedonia was originally eligible for NATO entry in 2008 and was to have joined the alliance alongside Croatia and Albania. As we know, an ongoing dispute about North Macedonia's name prevented that from happening. But the leaders of both North Macedonia and Greece demonstrated great political courage in concluding the Prespa agreement earlier this year, which has made today's decision possible.
The courage of Prime Minister Zaev and former Prime Minister Tsipras to move the situation in the Balkans forward should be applauded. I met with both leaders this year to thank and congratulate them.
Not only does Prespa pave the way forward for North Macedonia into both NATO and the European Union, but it is an excellent example of how other conflicts in the region could be resolved.
When the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held its hearing earlier this year to consider North Macedonia's eligibility for alliance, the committee heard strong and unequivocal testimony from top officials at the Departments of State and Defense that North Macedonia would be a strong partner to the allies and is ready for the requirements of NATO membership.
After reviewing all relevant facts and holding hearings and meetings with NATO, U.S., and North Macedonian officials for the better part of this year, I am confident that North Macedonia is ready to fulfill its NATO obligations and will benefit the alliance. It was ready in 2008 and is ready now. North Macedonia has a credible plan to meet the 2- percent spending requirement by 2024 and is already on track to spend 20 percent on equipment. It hosts the Krivolak training area, a top- notch Army training facility that has already been utilized by many U.S. soldiers. Strategically, North Macedonia's membership would provide NATO a direct land path from the Aegean to the Adriatic Sea, facilitating military movements should they ever be needed. It will continue to contribute soldiers to NATO's international mission as it has done in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2002.
North Macedonia isn't perfect. As a small country with a young democracy, it will certainly require further government reforms and military modernization as have most new NATO allies. For example, it will need to continue its transition from legacy Soviet equipment, further reform its intelligence services, and above all, resist Russian interference and continue to strengthen its anti-corruption efforts. I urge North Macedonia to make these reforms and to continue on its positive path inside the alliance with the help of its other democratic NATO allies.
Expanding NATO to include North Macedonia is about what the country will bring to the alliance and what the alliance brings to North Macedonia, but it is not just about North Macedonia and its qualifications for membership. Through its open-door policy, NATO has promised membership to any European country that fulfills the requirements of the alliance. Accepting North Macedonia as a new member is a strong symbol and a message for European countries with NATO aspirations that with hard work and perseverance, along with the willingness to make tough reform decisions, they can provide a better future for their people. As long as countries honor this commitment, NATO's door should and will remain open.
It is important to note that this is a strong anti-Russian vote. Standing here today, I can tell you the Russians are very much opposed to this, not the least of which is exemplified by the way they resisted this and pushed back against this as North Macedonia attempted to get this done for their people.
I say to the Presiding Officer and colleagues, this day is a long time in the making, and I am pleased it is finally here.
I urge all of my colleagues to support North Macedonia's bid to become our newest NATO ally, No. 30, by voting in favor of this protocol.
Thank you.
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