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Pelosi, Congressional Delegation Conclude Visit to European Commission & NATO Headquarters

February 17, 2020

Contact: Speaker's Press Office,
202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. — Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a high-level congressional delegation have concluded their visit to the European Commission and NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Speaker Pelosi released this statement:

"Today, our delegation had important meetings with the leadership of the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and NATO, which focused on security, the economy and shared values, under the framework of democracy versus autocracy. In all of our meetings, we discussed the threat of Russia and China to the international order.

"First, our delegation met with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and was greatly encouraged by her strong commitment to making the climate crisis a top priority. We emphasized our deep security concerns with Huawei 5G and the importance of working together toward the internationalization of standards and norms for 5G and other technologies such as AI. We also discussed transatlantic trade and market access.

"With President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel, we spoke about the opportunities for expanded European leadership in international development and defending international norms. Our delegation also expressed our concern with rise of anti-Semitism and the need for strong action to combat it.

"At NATO Headquarters, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg provided a vital update on the status of NATO members' engagement in Afghanistan and the status of Afghan-Taliban peace talks. We discussed our shared alarm about the erosion of our international arms control framework, including the INF and New START treaties. I was also honored to address the North Atlantic Council parliamentary meeting and to engage in a dialogue with members gathered for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly about the importance of interparliamentary engagement as we face the challenge of democracy versus autocracy.

"Our delegation is grateful to U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO Kay Bailey Hutchinson, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Ronald Gidwitz, and U.S. Mission to the European Union Chargé d'Affaires Mark Libby for their leadership and for making our visit a success.

"At the Munich Security Conference, in our European Union meetings and at NATO Headquarters, our delegation delivered the message that the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic relationship and NATO is ironclad. We must continue to work together as partners and allies to strengthen our security, advance our economies and defend our democratic values."

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