As a credible organisation, we have been taken at our word. And the credibility of NATO, both politically and militarily, is the engine of the Partnership for Peace. The cost of NATO's enlargement has recently been in the press. Everyone accepts that at a time of reducing and stringent defence budgets for all NATO Allies, the additional costs have to be seriously considered. But some of the figures that have been quoted by private think tanks are grossly exaggerated, and are based on arbitrary and unrealistic assumptions.
Any assessment of cost depends on the assumptions the analysts wish to make.
It has to be seen in perspective. My view is that membership is more about commitment than cost. The recent Report to the US Congress confirms the point. Applicants will pay their fair share of common costs, but it will not be an excessive share. New members, like NATO's present members, will have the time and the freedom to meet the requirements in a way that they can absorb.