D-Day 70th anniversary: David Cameron's article
6 Jun 2014 11:45 AM
David Cameron has
written an article for the French newspaper Ouest-France to mark the D-Day 70th
anniversary commemorations.
As we gather on the beaches of
Normandy to remember the extraordinary sacrifices made for peace, there has
never been a more important time to underline our belief in collective
defence.
Through the searing experiences
of moments like D-Day, we learnt how much more we could achieve by working
together as allies than by fighting alone. The NATO Alliance was born out of
this commitment to increase our collective security and to ensure that the
common cause we found through shared hardship would prevent conflict on this
scale threatening our world again.
Just as British and French
soldiers fought for victory against a common enemy on the beaches of Normandy,
today France and the UK stand shoulder to shoulder against the threats of the
modern world. We remain united against international terrorism and extremism
– and in recent times our armed forces have served together in
Afghanistan, Libya, Mali and elsewhere around the world.
But it is not just our military
ties that have deepened over these past 70 years. We have also worked together
to ramp up diplomatic pressure in advancing our shared values, most recently in
the push for humanitarian assistance in Syria and in our support for the
Ukrainian government. Alongside NATO, the European Union has also helped us to
develop a peaceful continent which is more connected than we could ever have
imagined and which has opened up unprecedented opportunities for trade and
growth.
So as we look forward to the
future I believe we should take strength from the shared hardship of our
experience during World War II. It has forged our unique relationship and
created a shared determination to work together for a safer, more prosperous
future for us all. That future is why so many of our service men gave their
lives - and protecting the peace they fought for is the greatest way we can
honour those who fell.