In remembrance of the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001 in the United States, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Permanent Representative Kay Bailey Hutchison give remarks at the 9/11 and Article 5 Memorial at the NATO Headquarters.

Transcript

Good afternoon. Thank you for gathering with the U.S. Mission to NATO in solidarity to mark the 18th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the United States of America. I’m very pleased to be joined by our Secretary General, our Deputy Secretary General, and I’m very proud to have my colleagues the Ambassadors from all 28 of our allies standing behind me today. We pause here today, in front of this of monument of metal twisted by hate and violence, to remember the nearly 3000 victims from more than 90 countries who were taken from us when terrorists attacked my country. As we stand here, we also remember the heroes of that day, including the first responders and the firefighters who raced into harm’s way to rescue. And the ordinary citizens who put their own lives at risk to help complete strangers. We remember all of them. And we remember how we felt that day. We will never forget that when the United States was attacked, our NATO allies had our back. Article Five was invoked for the first and only time in the alliance’s history, sending the message loud and clear: “When one of us is attacked, we are all attacked.” From then until now, the scourge of terrorism has indeed affected other allies. Madrid. Paris. Istanbul. Brussels. London. We remember those victims today, as well. As an alliance, we have responded. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder, we are fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. Together, we’re training Iraqi forces to help prevent the return of ISIS. We are projecting stability to insure that there will never again be a haven where this kind of malevolence can germinate into plans that reach our homes and cause such harm. 9/11 was not just an attack on America. It was not just an attack on 3000 innocent citizens. It was an attack on who we are. It was an attack on our freedom of speech. An attack on our freedom of religion. Our freedom to choose our leaders. And the freedom to choose our quality of life. NATO was the answer 70 years ago when we first came together to provide for our collective security and it is still the answer today. For two things remain constant: There will always be people who want to destroy our values and the freedom we cherish. Two, as long as we remain united, we will always defeat the minions of tyranny. And now, I would like to ask our NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, to speak on behalf of our great alliance.

Thank you Ambassador and dear friends. We stand here at the entrance of the NATO headquarters by this twisted piece of the Twin Towers. As we walk past it every day, we remember the deadly impact of terrorism. We remember the suffering, the sorrow, and the staggering loss on that terrible morning in September 2001. We remember all those who were going about their business on an ordinary day when the unthinkable happened. And we pay tribute to the 2,977 people who lost their lives on 9/11. This memorial symbolizes that while 9/11 was an attack against the United States, it was also an attack against all NATO allies. For the first and only time in NATO’s history, we invoked our collective defense clause, Article Five. “One for all, and all for one.” Since that day, we have fought terrorism together. Soon after 9/11, allies deployed to Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of troops from Europe, Canada, and beyond, have served shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops. Many have paid the ultimate price. And many more have been seriously wounded. We remember them. And we must make sure that the sacrifice was not in vain. The fight against terrorism is a global, generational fight. We remain committed to Afghanistan. NATO allies and partners will continue to train and advise Afghan security forces to make them stronger so that they can fight international terrorism and create security and stability in their own country. Our military presence is there to create the conditions for peace. But the road to peace is long and hard. NATO also fights terrorism beyond Afghanistan. In Iraq, we train the armed forces to insure that they can prevent Daish from coming back. And we work with partners across the Middle East and North Africa. Europe and North America must continue to stand together now, as we stood together on 9/11. United in our commitment to protect our people and our values. On 9/11 terrorists destroyed the Twin Towers. But they will never destroy our way of life, our free and open societies, and the unbreakable bond between Europe and North America. Our alliance keeps us strong and it keeps us safe.

I want to also recognize the members of our military committee who are standing with us today in this long fight, that we are having for our way of life and who we are. And now, I would like to do what all Americans do throughout the world on this very day. And that is at this time, 18 years ago, a dark cloud descended on our country and we would like to ask you to join us for a moment of silence. Thank you. Most of us remember where we were at this time 18 years ago. And thank you for helping us to never forget. Thank you. (applause) Thank you for coming.