[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8401]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       NATO ASSEMBLY IN BULGARIA

  (Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, today I return from a 
meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Varna, Bulgaria, where 
the U.S. delegation was chaired by Congressman Mike Turner, accompanied 
by Mike Ross, Jo Ann Emerson, and Jeff Miller. We were welcomed by the 
former Mayor of Varna, Hristo Kirchev, who is a champion of freedom and 
democracy in a nation which, since 1990, has evolved from the chains of 
communist totalitarianism to being a vibrant free market democracy 
today.
  Parliamentarians from NATO's 28 member nations and delegations, from 
Russia to Montenegro, were briefed on issues critical to promoting 
democracy in the world. Secretary General Anders Rasmussen presented a 
clear report on NATO's progress in Iraq and Afghanistan, while 
encouraging civil society movements in North Africa. Prime Minister 
Boyko Borisov of Bulgaria gave a stirring promotion of a missile 
defense system for Europe. Bulgaria is a valued partner of America.
  In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget 
September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

                          ____________________