00:22Our destinies as nations have been interlinked, as Oscar Wilde said,
00:28we have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.
00:40So, ladies and gentlemen, we meet in times of great uncertainty,
00:45in times of conflict from Europe to the Middle East,
00:50which pose immense challenges for the international community
00:54and whose impact is felt in communities the length and breadth of our own countries.
01:02We meet, too, in the aftermath of the incident not far from this great building
01:08that sought to harm the leadership of your nation
01:11and to foment wider fear and discord.
01:15Let me say with unshakable resolve, such acts of violence will never succeed.
01:36Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have,
01:41we stand united in our commitment to uphold democracy,
01:46to protect all our people from harm
01:49and to salute the courage of those who daily risk their lives
01:55in the service of our countries.
02:01King George, as you know, never set foot in America
02:05and please rest assured, ladies and gentlemen,
02:09and I am not here as part of some cunning rearguard action.
02:21So, I come here today with the highest respect for the United States Congress,
02:28this citadel of democracy created to represent the voice of all American people
02:34to advance sacred rights and freedoms.
02:43The alliance that our two nations have built over the centuries
02:48and for which we are profoundly grateful to the American people
02:52is truly unique.
02:55And that alliance is part of what Henry Kissinger described
02:59as Kennedy's soaring vision of an Atlantic partnership
03:04based on twin pillars, Europe and America.
03:09That partnership, I believe, Mr. Speaker,
03:12is more important today than it has ever been.
03:17APPLAUSE
03:21In the immediate aftermath of 9-11,
03:24when NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time
03:28and the United Nations Security Council was united in the face of terror,
03:35we answered the call together,
03:37as our people have done so for more than a century,
03:40shoulder to shoulder, through two world wars,
03:43the Cold War, Afghanistan,
03:46and moments that have defined our shared security.
03:50Today, Mr. Speaker, that same unyielding resolve
03:55is needed for the defence of Ukraine
03:58and her most courageous people.
04:01APPLAUSE
04:18Yet, even as we celebrate the beauty that surrounds us,
04:24our generation must decide how to address the collapse
04:29of critical natural systems,
04:32which threatens far more than the harmony
04:34and essential diversity of nature.
04:37We ignore at our peril the fact that these natural systems,
04:43in other words, nature's own economy,
04:46provide the foundation for our prosperity
04:49and our national security.
04:52APPLAUSE
05:00I pray with all my heart
05:03that our Alliance will continue to defend our shared values
05:08with our partners in Europe and the Commonwealth
05:11and across the world.
05:14APPLAUSE
05:21And that we ignore the clarion calls
05:24to become ever more inward-looking.
05:27APPLAUSE
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