Peters Statement on Senate Delegation to Germany, India, Pakistan and Israel

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and member of the Armed Services Committee, recently returned from a Senate delegation led by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to Germany, India, Pakistan and Israel. Peters and the delegation met with leaders of each country to discuss shared security interests and issues of mutual concern, including support for Ukraine and countering the Chinese government.

Peters said the following regarding the Senate delegation:

“I was honored to attend the Munich Security Conference, which is one of the world’s leading forums for international security policy. It was a privilege to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and discuss the importance of U.S. and European security issues as we marked a year into Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. I thanked Chancellor Scholz for Germany’s strong support and military assistance for the Ukrainian people and, along with the delegation, reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to working with Germany – and our allies – to make sure we continue providing Ukraine with the necessary military and humanitarian assistance to defend its democracy and defeat Russia.

“In India, I had the opportunity to meet with key Indian officials, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss how we can continue to strengthen the U.S.-India relationship. While there, we talked about the importance of safeguarding our shared interests by strengthening our security and economic cooperation with partners in the region to counter the growing influence of the Chinese government.

“In Pakistan, we met with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The U.S. and Pakistan have a longstanding relationship and our discussion focused on how we can build on those ties to not only protect against security threats but also economic cooperation between our nations.

“In Israel, our delegation met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to discuss the historically strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel and how we can build on our shared national security interests moving forward. We also met with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, in Ramallah. We talked about the escalating conflict and economic relations with both the Israelis and Palestinians. Despite rising tensions in the region, I still hope meaningful steps will be taken to deescalate — and that there will be a renewed focus on a two-state solution that can ensure Israel’s security needs and Palestinian national aspirations.”

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