Ahead of the ceremony, NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana said that the accession of the three countries... " is perhaps the clearest demonstration of the fact that Europe is growing closer together. " " Extending membership to these three democracies helps to (stabilize) a region that historically has been the staging ground for many of the disasters of this century, " Solana added, referring to the two world wars.  
 Verb: stabilize
Yes