Remarks by the Vice President During a Tour of Hofdi House in Reykjavík, Iceland

Well, I want to thank the Mayor and the Chief of Protocol for their warm welcome here. It's very humbling to be in this place and to be here on a week when I had the opportunity to stand in Warsaw with the leaders of more than 40 nations and celebrate a victory for freedom when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

The two of those events are linked. What happened here in Reykjavík, the stand that President Reagan took in this place in 1986, many believe set into motion what would ultimately see the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Soviet communism and see tens of millions of people living free. So this is a very special place, and it's a place that should be a source of great pride to the people of Reykjavík and Iceland.

But I want to assure you it's also a source of great pride to the people of the United States of America. And we will always stand for the safety and security of the American people. We will always stand for our defense and for the defense of our allies.

But as they did at this table, as we ultimately achieved, as we stand for freedom we'll also see — we'll also see peace.

And thank you for — thank you for the warm welcome Mr. Mayor. it's a great, great honor.