'We have to talk about democracy' | Northern Virginia leader to address heads of state at NATO summit in DC

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Northern Virginia Democrat, Congressman Gerry Connolly will play a large role during this week's gathering of NATO leaders in Washington. Rep. Connolly (D-VA) is President of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly. Think of that institution as the Congress of NATO.

Rep. Connolly is set to deliver a big speech tomorrow in front of world leaders attending the NATO summit in Washington on the 75th anniversary of the alliance's founding. In remarks obtained by WUSA9, Rep Connolly plans to call for Ukraine to join the NATO alliance.

With the addition of Sweden and Finland in the last two years, Rep. Connolly will address the largest NATO contingent ever; leaders from 32 different nations. 

"We have to talk about democracy," he said when asked about his message to world leaders gathering for the summit. "NATO cannot just be a military alliance it has to be a collective of committed democracies who will propound and defend democracy wherever it's under attack."

Congressman Connolly got his start with foreign policy under a different politician. Forty years ago, the junior Senator from Delaware and future President Joe Biden hired Connolly to join the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He worked there for a decade.  

During his time as both a member of the House of Representatives and a member of NATO's parliamentary assembly, Connolly says he's seen a model of cooperation with his Republican counterparts. 

The Parliamentary Assembly includes representatives from the governments of each of the 32 NATO members.

"The U.S. delegation, which is members of the House to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, has been profoundly bipartisan. We've never had a feud or fight. We've worked in sync. We have been staunchly Pro-Ukraine. Staunchly Pro-NATO," Connolly said. 

An attack on one is an attack on all of us. 

Among NATO's guiding principles is that an attack on one member nation is seen as an attack on all member nations. Rep. Connolly says that is the one "guardrail" Russian President Vladimir Putin has respected. 

Rep. Connolly expects a multi-year commitment to Ukraine and a strategy for the Indo-Pacific region to be atop the agenda for members of the summit.  

“As NATO commemorates its 75th anniversary, Allied leaders must recognize that the next front for NATO evolution will be in the battle between democracy and authoritarianism,” Rep. Connolly said. “We must respond to this existential threat. As parliamentarians, as guardians of democracy. But also as members of NATO. After 75 years, NATO needs concrete architecture, at its Headquarters, dedicated to the propoundment and defense of democracy.”

Here is an excerpt of remarks Rep Connolly will deliver on Wednesday:

Welcome, everybody, to the 75th anniversary and celebration of the founding of what has turned out to be the world’s most effective and consequential security alliance and democratic alliance ever formed. We have a lot to celebrate, and we have a lot we have to recommit ourselves to. 

I want to particularly emphasize not only the role of parliamentarians as the real democratic expression of this alliance but to remind us even in our charter of who we are and why this alliance still exists 75 years later. We are a collective committed to democratic values. These are shared values. Each of our respective countries has different ways of expressing those values, but fundamentally we are committed to something we share in common. And those values are characterized by the enabling of the human spirit. Allowing human beings to express themselves without fear of a knock on the door in the middle of the night – politically, religiously, culturally, economically to be free. To celebrate one’s autonomy and to participate in a free society with free expression. We don’t think that’s too much to ask of a society. In fact, we’re quite proud of the fact that that’s what we built. 

 If we think back 75 years ago, Europe was on its knees. The future looked very dark. The Soviets were on the march. Many of our countries around this table were occupied for a long time. A cold war was raging and we didn’t look like we were winning. And yet this alliance, formed in that chaos and debris like a phoenix rising from those ashes, created something spectacular. It created a free, Western Europe at that time. And it stood up to Soviet challenges. It met the test of its time, and it met the test of endurance. That cold war raged for half a century, but we never relented. And we showed the world a shining example of what democracy, collective democracy, could do and would do. 

 75 years on, I don’t know that any of us thought we’d be where we are today, having to meet that very same test again by standing shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. And what is the sin Ukraine is charged with? The desire to join our ranks. The desire to be a free people. And for that, they are paying a terrible price. We must meet that test, and we have met that test. We have to sustain it. We have to make sure that we’re providing the equipment and the training and the support to match the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people. And we have to see it through to a successful end – the return of their sovereign territory, the permanent cessation of every threat coming from their East, and their joining this family. 

Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com. 

MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9  

HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE  

ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.  

For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.  

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER 

Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.