Toespraak minister van Defensie Hennis-Plasschaert tijdens viering 50 jaar NAVO (Engelstalig)

Toespraak | 31-05-2017

Your Majesty,
Excellencies,
Generals, admirals,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
In preparation for today’s event, I came across the words president Harry Truman spoke when the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in 1949.
He said:
'By this treaty, we are not only seeking to establish freedom from aggression and from the use of force in the North Atlantic community, but we are also actively striving to promote and preserve peace throughout the world.'
The Netherlands needed no encouragement to sign the Treaty.
Our memories of war were still fresh and the Soviet threat looming.
And when NATO needed a new home for one of its most important military headquarters after the French withdrawal from the command structure in 1966, we did not hesitate either.
Brunssum warmly welcomed the NATO men, women and their families.
As mayor Winants put it so nicely just now, this town and NATO started building a new home together.

Has Brunssum benefitted from NATO?
Yes, it has.
Has the Netherlands?
Yes, we have.
Our national interests are aligned with the alliance’s core mission.
And as a trading nation, we have benefited from the stable international order that NATO has helped create.
What about NATO?
Has it benefitted from Brunssum?
Yes, it has too.
During the Cold War, Brunssum - as the home to Allied Forces Central Europe - played a major role in defending central and Western Europe against the Soviet threat.
And after the fall of the Berlin Wall, it supported major NATO operations such as those in the Balkans and, later, in Afghanistan.
Are we - the NATO family - still relevant after all these years?
Let me make that personal.
My childhood was pleasant and carefree.
Free from violence, fear and want.
In fact, I took every peaceful day for granted – just as children should be able to do.
In my early twenties, in the late 1990s, I started working for the European Commission in Latvia.
Latvia was on the road to EU and NATO membership at the time.
It was a country still struggling to make the transition from communism to liberty.
The Latvians were acutely aware that they had to defend their freedom every single day.
It made a lasting impression on me.
It was a life-changing experience.
It determined the course of my career.
Years later, that realisation struck me even more on one of my trips to Belarus to meet with the political opposition.
As soon as I arrived at the border, I was interrogated and denied entry by the Lukashenko-regime.
It was an intimidating experience.
As Minister of Defence, I am very much aware of the fragility of peace, the delicacy of freedom and the importance of NATO.
Last year, for instance, I had the honour of meeting former political prisoners from the Soviet era in South-East Europe.
Now, many years after their release, they once more feel the mounting threat from the east. In addition, they worry about terrorist attacks and the migrants coming in from the south.
So, yes!
Yes! NATO is more relevant than ever.

I am proud to be part of the NATO family.
And proud that my country is a member of an organisation that holds core human values in high regard.
By working alongside one another, our family has not only grown in size but also in stature.
And by joining forces in NATO, we are able – in the words of Harry Truman - to:
'Get on with the real business of government and society, the business of achieving a fuller and happier life for all our citizens.'
Brunssum has made a significant contribution to the lives of all of us.
And I am confident that it will continue to do so in the future.
Thank you.