Washington, DC – The 2014 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit in the United Kingdom approaches, it is vital to underline the importance of the enlargement process. It is a key priority that the United States (U.S) takes a leading role and continues to support the membership of the aspirant countries. The Hungarian American Coalition (Coalition) welcomes the letter sent to Secretary Kerry on February 5, 2014, in which members of the U.S. Congress express their support for NATO expansion.
The further enlargement of the Alliance has always been a significant issue with special regard to the accession of Macedonia and Montenegro. The Coalition has always supported the work of the Central and East European Coalition as well as of the United Macedonian Diaspora on their efforts becoming a member. All initiatives which encourage progress in implementing the Membership Action Plan process to Georgia and Bosnia-Herzegovina should also be supported.
As 2014 marks the 15th anniversary of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic joining NATO, it is important to recall the initial advocacy undertaken in 1994 to strengthen the Alliance and extend the zone of security all over Europe.
Therefore the Coalition – in accordance with several like-minded advocates throughout the USA – considers that expanding NATO is critical to the Alliance’s future relevance and viability. In this sense the organization strongly believes that the enlargement process must continue to evolve and include countries that aspire to be members of NATO.
