NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participates in the virtual event Riga Conference 2020 during the session “Snapshot for the Future” with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Latvia, Mr. Krišjānis Kariņš.
Transcript
Thank you so much, Poles. And many thanks to you, Prime Minister Guardians. Uh, it is always a pleasure. Thio speak in Latvia, The Regal Conference remains an important meeting point for the strategic community on in the Baltic region. All NATO allies stand shoulder to shoulder allied jets. Keep your skies safe. Allied ships keep the Baltic Sea seeker on NATO’s multinational battle groups, prevent conflict and preserve peace. NATO keeps all allies safe in the air, on land, at sea, in cyberspace, on in space. And as you all know, a lot of ER makes an important contribution to our collective defense. Your forces train Afghan troops to fight terrorism and help maintain stability. Impossible local leads by example on defense investment spending 2% off GDP on defense. And, of course, you host NATO’s Canadian led battle group. In a DRC troops from 10 allies served alongside Latin forces, soldiers from North America and Europe, serving together to keep our alliance safe. All of this demonstrate the strength or the transatlantic bomb every day through concrete action across the alliance. The covered 19 pandemic has changed our lives. How we live, how we work, how we relate to each other, even how we perceived threats to our security. NATO’s main responsibility is to make sure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis. Therefore, we have done what is necessary to keep our forces safe, to maintain our operational readiness and sustain our missions and operations from the Baltic Sea to Afghanistan on. We continue to deliver a credible deterrence and defense for our alliance. Beyond that, we have strengthened civilian efforts to tackle the coronavirus. During the first wave off the pandemics, hundreds of thousands of allied troops supported civilian efforts. Hundreds of flights delivered critical supplies around the world on almost 100 ft. Hospitals treated many thousands off patients. As we all know, we have now entered the second wave. Just in last week’s, we have distributed hundreds of extra ventilators to our allies Albania, the Czech Republic, Montenegro and north Macedonia. NATO allies are ready to provide further assistance quickly, un efficiently, mhm. But there are some things the coronavirus has not changed. It does not change allies dedication to each other. It does not change our commitment to our values. It does not change our resolve to defend and protect our people. Unfortunately, the pandemic has not changed the fact that we still face many off the challenges. Russia’s aggressive acts and military activities continue unabated. For many years we have seen a disturbing pattern of Russian behavior, its illegal annexation of coming here on destabilization of eastern Ukraine, a massive military buildup on our borders, the use of a military grade nerve agent attempts to assassinate its opponents. Cyberattacks this information campaigns attempting to fair in our elections on Russia’s deployment of new nuclear capable missiles that led to the demise of the under 50. This is part of a whole suite off new Russian capabilities on. In response, NATO allies are requiring new air and missile defense systems, including patriots and some tea batteries. We are strengthening our advanced conventional capabilities, investing in new platforms, including fifth generation fighter aircraft, adapting our intelligence and exercises and keeping our nuclear deterrent safe seeker on effective. At the same time, Russia remains our biggest neighbor. It is not going anywhere. That is why we maintained dialogue with Russia to avoid incidents, accidents and miscalculations on because you are committed to effective arms control. But no one thing NATO on all NATO allies will do what every is necessary to keep all our country safe. Everything NATO does is defensive, including our presence here in the Baltic region. So when the leadership in Villers tries to use NATO as a pretext for cracking down on its own people, it is it is completely unjustified on absolutely wrong. Our message is that on Lee, the people brothers should decide the future brothers. NATO also faces many other challenges. China is asserting its economic, diplomatic and military wait. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are changing the nature of conflict. Conflict, which is fought in new domains like cyber on also in space on terrorist attacks, continue. In the recent weeks, we have seen barbaric attacks in France, in Austria as well as in Afghanistan. NATO must be able to respond toe all these challenges. We must always look forward to prepare for two mortals challenges just as we rise to meet today’s. This is why I have launched a NATO 2030 initiative. NATO 2030 has three objectives. First, it is about staying strong militarily in a challenging security environment. We need to continue to invest in our deterrence and events not only in tanks and bullets, but also in cyber on all the new capabilities. Second, we must make NATO a stronger political alliance. It is not used that allies sometimes have their differences. But NATO is the only place where North America and Europe meat every day. So it is the best place to sit down, remember what unites us and solve our differences together. On Third, NATO needs, um, or global approach not because we want to be a global alliance, but because so many of the challenges we face are global, like terrorism, cyber threats, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and, of course, the rise off China. So we need to work every more closely with our partners on with other organizations like the United Nations and the European Union, to protect our values and way of life on to defend the global rules based order. Mhm. None of our countries, even the biggest ones, can deal with the challenges we now face alone. We need to work together to find common solutions as part of NATO 2030 I’m seeking a wide range of use from experts from academia on from the civil society. All of this will feed into my recommendations to NATO leaders when they meet next year. As part of this, I also believe it is now time for us to develop a new strategic concept for NATO on updated blueprint for how NATO can adapt and respond to the very challenging strategic environment we face today. So, ladies and gentlemen, NATO is the most successful Lawrence in history. Our success is based on our values freedom, democracy, the rule of law on on the unbreakable bond between our countries between Europe and North America. It is on Lee by remaining united, investing our defense and looking to the future that we will maintain the peace prosperity we have enjoyed for so many years. Thank you.