Dayton isn’t usually included in lists of global cities such as Montreal, Madrid or Copenhagen - so why was it selected to host the NATO PA?
- Dayton Peace Accords turn 30. The NATO PA is coming to Dayton to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in Bosnia and have been called “a crowning achievement” of 20th century U.S. diplomacy.
- U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, was a driving force behind bringing NATO to Dayton. Turner was elected President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 2014, and he served in that role until 2016.
- “I think it’s important for them to see the Midwest,” Turner said. “Many of these people go to ... New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami. To come to the heartland of the United States will give them an impression of America they don’t normally see.”
- Small, but mighty. The Gem City (pop. 135,500 residents) is much smaller than other host cities, which include Montreal, Canada (pop. 1.7 million); Sofia, Bulgaria (1.2 million residents); Madrid, Spain (3.2 million); Copenhagen, Denmark (roughly 640,000) and Vilnius, Lithuania (more than 550,000).
- First U.S. host city in more than 20 years. The last NATO Parliamentary Assembly session held in America took place in Orlando, Florida in 2003.
