NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during Question and Answer session at the 65th Annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in London
Transcript
Thank you Secretary General. We now have the next set of three from the heads of the, Karl Lamers from the German delegation. Mariea Chencovo from Greece, Theo Francken from Belguim. Karl first.
[Karl] Excellency, the Secretary General, first of all, thank you very much for your efforts to keep the alliance together. I turn to Afghanistan, resolute support is successful in training, advising, and assisting the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces. The progress made is visible. Germany and many other countries, supported in close coordination with the United States to achieve political progress for the future of Afghanistan. My question is, how do you see the possibility for NATO to stay included in the political and diplomatic process and can you assure us that we will be able to decide condition based, in time and together on the way forward. Thank You.
Theodoric.
I’m sorry?
The head of the Greek delegation, yes please.
[Greek] Mr. Secretary General. As you know the EU, according to the treaty of the union prepares a common security and defense policy including military capacities. What do you think about the formal cooperation between NATO and the security and defense system of the EU? Thank you.
And finally Theo.
[Theo] Thank you dear Secretary General. Yesterday Hevrin Khalaf was murdered. She was a famous Kurdish human rights activists. She was the Secretary General of the Future Syria party. She was murdered by Turkey backed jihadists, following multiple independent sources. Hevrin wasn’t a terrorist. Hevrin wasn’t YPG, she wasn’t PKK, she was a young woman engaging for her people, for human rights. Just like all of us I think, I hope. The Kurds aren’t our enemies, they are our allies. They were and are our allies in the fight against ISIS. We cannot let ISIS regain power or strength. The Kurdish people aren’t a threat. Daesh is a threat to us all. They attack their people in London, Madrid, also in Brussels Belgium, Paris, Stolkholm, Nice, and other places. The real terrorists are now escaping from prison. NATO must act, the Belgian delegation wants an urgent gathering of NATO council. Turkey has to cease fire. Mr. Stoltenberg, will you support the demand for immediate cease fire, not only expressing your concern. (bangs) Thank you. (claps)
Thank you so much. First Afghanistan, while we are there to create the conditions for a political solution, but for us there is no contradiction between our military presence and the work for a political solution. On the contrary, I strongly believe that the best way we can create the conditions for a political solution in Afghanistan is to send the clear message to Taliban that they will not win on the battlefield. They have to sit down and negotiate at the negotiating table. Therefore we welcome the notions of peace talks but for they to be successful, Taliban has to show more real willingness to make compromises and to create credible instruments for enforcing a peace deal, and therefore we will stay committed and we will also stay very coordinated, it has been the US that has negotiated with Taliban. But the US has briefed, consulted with NATO allies again and again to make sure that all allies are onboard because our presence in Afghanistan is not only US, but many NATO allies and partners are also there with forces. We will stay committed and then by our military presence create the conditions for something, for what I hope can be renewed peace talks and a political settlement. Then on NATO, EU cooperation. Yes NATO supports of course cooperation with the EU, also on defense and security matters. I have stated again and again that I strongly welcome the EU efforts on defense. I think that can help to improve burden sharing between North America and Europe. What I also stated again and again is that the EU efforts on defense cannot replace NATO. It has to compliment, not compete with NATO. We must avoid duplication and EU cannot replace NATO as the guarantor for the security of European NATO allies, especially after Brexit we have to remember that 80% of NATO’s defense expenditure will come from non-EU allies. Three of the four battle groups, we have in the eastern part of the alliance, or in the Baltic countries and Poland will be led by non-EU allies. So we have just to make sure that, yes we welcome EU efforts on defense but they should not replace NATO. They should compliment the efforts of NATO. Then we have seen many reports about civilians killed. Actually on both sides. And that’s one of the reasons why I think it was right to express, from the outset of this conflict what happened last week, serious concerns about increased human suffering. I cannot confirm every report but there is no doubt that there are civilians that have been killed in this conflict and there are civilian casualties and we see human suffering. Peoples are being forced to flee. So that’s exactly why what we need in northern Syria and in Syria in general is a political solution and we call on all those parties involved to support the UN led efforts to find a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Syria.
Thank you, we now have the heads of, Matteo Tonin, head of the Slovenian delegation. Nile Futbetson, head of the Icelandic delegation. And Osman Askimpac, the head of the Turkish delegation. Matteo first.
[Matteo] Dear Secretary General, you said in March 2019, in United States Congress that NATO alliance is not only the longest lasting alliance in history, it is the most successful alliance in history. And Slovenian delegation totally agree with you. We are satisfied that Montenegro is in. That North Macedonia is almost in the alliance. Slovenian delegation, we support enlargement of NATO. We would like to see, Georgia as a part of NATO. They are great NATO partner and contributor to our missions. So Secretary General, when we will see Georgia as a full member of NATO?
Nile.
[Nile] Thank you Madame President, Secretary General. I share the view and concerns my fellow parliamentarians have expressed regarding the serious situation in Syria. The foreign minister of EU are now meeting in Luxemburge, in Turia, discussing reactions to the immersion are any informal discussions or actions intended on a NATO level. I also want to address climate change which is our greatest national security threat. This is especially relevant to the Arctic. As the Arctic region is rapidly warming due to global climate change. It is time for both our governments and NATO to adapt into a new reality. Does NATO intend to become a leading force in battling climate change and thereby taking a prominent seat in safeguarding our future?
Osman.
[Osman] Thank you very much Secretary General. Turkey won’t eliminate the terror threat across our borders that are also NATO’s southeastern borders. This fight is also for Europe and the alliance. Your excellency was received by President Erdogan and met with our ministers, I was there too. All of these meetings were excellent examples of comprehensive dialogue between Turkey and NATO. We have been also discussing Operation Peace Supreme for two days. Turkey’s always ready to listen the views of our allies and to explain its legitimate securities. You state on many occasions that you recognize our legitimate security concerns. This is extremely important. Turkey is focused and determined to continue to fight against Daesh and is also a country that is fully dedicated to fighting this cowardly terrorists and killed chase to chase, 4000 Daesh militants. Daesh is an enemy of Turkey, Daesh hesitate many times.
Sorry Osman I have to stop you.
[Osman] Thank you
We’ve gone past the minute. My apologies to everyone that I have to do this to but we have so many questions to get through. (mumbles)
Okay thank you so much. First Slovenia. First of all NATO’s door remains open. We have proven that by allowing Montenegro to join. So Montenegro became the 29th member of our alliance, two years ago and soon, North Macedonia will become the 30th member of the alliance. So we have proven over the last few years that NATO’s door remains open. We have also clearly stated and restated again and again, at different NATO summits, that Georgia will become a member of NATO, but you’re not put a timeline to that process. We support the efforts of Georgia to modernize, to strengthen its defense and security institutions, to meet NATO standards. So that is something which we are working on together with Georgia and I think it’s also important to remember that even without membership we have seen more NATO in Georgia. We have a joint training center there now. We have exercises, we have more NATO presence in Georgia than ever before and this is good for Georgia. It’s good for NATO, so even without full membership we have a very strong partnership with Georgia. Then Osman asked me whether we will discuss the situation in Syria, well, that, yes absolutely. That’s a discussion which has been going on in NATO between NATO allies for a long time and we’re also of course discussed the recent developments. We did that last week and I know that NATO allies discuss this as we speak and also an issue which has been addressed and will be addressed at the NATO headquarters in Brussels. I think we also have to admit that when we see the public debate also between NATO allies, there are different views and NATO is not present on the ground in northern Syria, so NATO allies are but NATO as an alliance is not present on the ground in northern Syria. We are part of the global coalition and I have expressed my serious concerns about the risk of jeopardizing the progress we have made in that coalition. On climate change, well before I became Secretary General of NATO I was UN special envoy on climate change and my views and my concerns about climate change have not changed and climate change, NATO has recognized that in our strategic concept back in 2010 that climate change may have security consequences. It may lead to conflicts about resources, water. It may force people to move, so of course there are security consequences of climate change. It will also effect our military infrastructure and the way we have to plan and conduct military operations, and we have also highlighted in some of our work that if we are able to make our operations more energy efficient that will be good for climate but also good for the resilience of our military operations. So through some of our projects, some of our research projects and so on, we area addressing how can we reduce energy use in military operations because that’s a huge efforts to provide all the energy. And it will also address some climate concerns. Having said that of course NATO is not the main tool to address the reasons for climate change. We have other international bodies dealing with that. I focus on what is NATO’s core task. Security, collective defense and then I think it’s important that those tools, especially the UN and the UN climate change convention are the platforms where the international community addresses climate change more broadly. Then Turkey, well, as I has in Istanbul on Friday as I have already stated. I said exactly the same there as I said here now. But one part of that message is that we have to recognize that no NATO ally is more exposed to the turmoil to the south than Turkey bordering Iraq and Syria and that are hosting more than almost four million refugees, and of course for NATO allies, to deal with the refugees and migrant crisis, it is critical to work with Turkey. And for instance, NATO plays a key role in helping to implement the agreement between Turkey and the European Union on the migrant and refugee crisis, we have our own military presence, the naval presence in the Aegean Sea. And to help to implement that deal and I think it highlights that close to four million refugees in Turkey is a challenge not only to Turkey but to all other NATO allies and therefore we need to also address that together.