Joint Statement by the United States and Czech Republic

The United States and the Czech Republic are pleased to announce the completion of negotiations on a missile defense agreement. We plan to sign the agreement in the near future.

This agreement is an important step in our efforts to protect our nations and our NATO Allies from the growing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

This agreement calls for the stationing of a U.S. radar in the Czech Republic to track ballistic missiles. The radar will be linked to other U.S. missile defense facilities in Europe and the United States.

In addition to deepening our bilateral strategic relationship, we strongly believe that our cooperation in this area will make a substantial contribution to NATO’s collective capability to counter existing and future threats in the 21^st century, and will be an integral part of any future NATO-wide missile defense architecture.

2008/243