NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participates in the 66th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA). The session was moderated by the NPA President, Mr. Attila Mesterházy.
Transcript
Your colleagues, I declare open the plenary sitting off the 2020 annual session off the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Yeah, welcome to all of you and special word off come to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who will join me on screen in a moment. The key team for our sitting today will be how NATO depths to remain a political military transatlantic alliance unsurpassed today and in the future. One year ago and their December meeting in London, the light leaders decided to launch reflection process on ways to sanction NATO NATO further off course. They did not know then that this process would coincide with the most serious, profound and wide ranging crisis which our societies and economies have known indicates. Corbett, 19, has told us important lessons about our ability to sustain major global shops as societies and as an international community. This pandemic has also confirmed that our nations must learn to better confront a number of new dynamics and new challenges. Among these are the rise of China and or dependence on Beijing in strategic sectors and the need to better counter this information and propaganda. For all these reasons, Covet, 19 is a security issue. But of course their security challenges which predated dependent, cannot disappear to the contrary. First among these are Russia’s aggressive actions terrorism, instability in our neighborhood, hybrid and cyber threats, and emerging and disruptive technologies. NATO 2030 offers a timely and important opportunity to ensure NATO is prepared to deal with these challenges and any further ones and to learn the lesson from the Cove in 19 Pandemic. A key pillar off this alliance is remarkable commitment to collective defense. NATO’s defining principle principle enshrined in the Article five. The lives must continue to demonstrate this commitment inverts and indeed, in this the iron should not overreach, but it must address the entire range of complex and diverse threats at the 360 degrees. To back up this commitment, we must continue to maintain defense spending and investment in innovation and technology, despite the increased pressure on public budgets in the wake of the pandemic. But we must also work harder to achieve a fair sharing off the burdens and responsibilities for defense. This is essential for NATO’s ability to address today’s complex threat environment, but it is also essential for transatlantic unity and solidarity. The bond uniting Europe and North America is unique. It is the wellspring off NATO’s unmatched political and military strength, and you cannot let it we can. Similarly, or values must remain or compass. We must protect them and resolutely counter those who seek to undermine the democratic foundations off for societies and institutions. We must also do more to protect rules based international order, working with like minded partners from Europe to Asia. This order is threatened by manufacturers Russia, of course, and it’s many ongoing violations off international law, but also China and its attempt to impose its the own vision and values. Let me be clear. China must act as a responsible global player. We can no longer afford to be naive about its ambitions and roll. The committing NATO to share values is also a prerequisite for strengthening the political dimension within. NATO allies must consult more and better. This will increase predictability among alliance, forced her a better understanding of allies, national interests and policies, and promote a greater convergence off interest and strategic priorities. Life must also make decisions faster and streamline their decision making processes while preserving the fundamental principle off consensus. The diversity off today’s threats and the multiple reverb make it more difficult for many citizens to understand NATO’s mission and contribution to security. Yet public support is an indispensable element off NATO strengths and credibility. We must strengthen communication and public diplomacy to explain how NATO deliver security for citizens and we must back it up with the necessary resources. Or assembly is particularly well placed to support key element of this vision. Better, whether it is about enhanced political consultation. Read dedicating yourself to a shared values. Maintaining public support. Sorry, Now it’s okay. So maintaining public support for NATO, keeping up efforts on defense spending and innovation, or broadening NATO’s network of partners, we complement and amplify NATO’s action invades no other organization can. Therefore, I want to thank NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for recognizing or assembly as a key stakeholder in the NATO 2013 and reiterate or commitment to support this process as best we can. Later this afternoon. I represent a draft declaration which includes a number of recommendations or NATO 2030. These tax draws much of its inspiration from the contributions which assembly delegations have submitted over the summer and early autumn and therefore sincerely hope you will be able to support it. But let me stop here for now. And formally welcome Mr Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO and Chairman, off the North Atlantic Council. Uh, yes. Please join me on screen. Mr. Stoltenberg, Thank you for attending this first ever online session off NATO parliamentary assembly. And now I would like to give the floor to you, please. Sojourn, Secretary. Thank you so much, President. Mr. Jose. There, Attila on. Thank you for your leadership off the NATO Parliamentary assembly in this very difficult period, I really enjoyed working with you. And I appreciate also the many phone calls will have during your tenure as, uh, as the president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Honorable members, their friends and colleagues. It is a pleasure to be with you all again. I last addressed your annual session a year ago in London. Since then, Cove in 19 has changed our lives in ways we could barely have imagined. None of the countries and communities you represent have bean left untouched. NATO allies and our military military’s have been supporting each other. Our partners throughout this pandemics transporting critical medical supplies, patients and experts setting up military field hospitals on securing borders, supporting civilian efforts in helping to save lives. As you now face the next wave, NATO has established a stockpile of medical supplies neatly. It’s already being used to provide for allies in need. Just in the last few weeks, we have distributed hundreds of extra ventilators to our allies in Albania, the Czech Republic, Montenegro and North Macedonia on. We are ready to provide further assistance at the same time we remain vigilant on ready because NATO’s main responsibility is to make sure this health crisis does not become a security crisis. Our military NUS has been upheld on our missions and operations continue from our battle groups in the east of the alliance to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. This is NATO adaptation at this best on. This is what I want to talk to you about today, how NATO can continue to evolve in the face on evermore uncertain world. Last December, NATO leaders asked me to lead a forward looking reflection to future proof our alliance, and that is why I launched NATO 2030 to make our strong alliance even stronger on fit to face any challenge in the next decade on the on my priorities for NATO. 2030 R To ensure NATO remains a strong military alliance becomes stronger politically. Aunt takes, um, or global approach. Let me go briefly through each of them. First we all they are a strong military alliance. In fact, in recent years we have had the biggest increase in our collective defense for a generation with mawr investment, modern capabilities and high redness or forces. This must continue. I know that prioritizing defense spending in the middle of health crisis is not easy. But the threats that existed before the pandemic have not diminished. On the contrary. So the commitment we all have made to invest Maurin defense is as relevant as ever. One of the reasons we need a strong military is for our fight against international terrorism, as you have been doing in Afghanistan for almost 20 years. As you know, the United States has announced that it will reduce its presence in Afghanistan, but the NATO mission will remain on. We will continue to provide support for African security forces. No ally wants to stay in Afghanistan for longer than is necessary, but we cannot risk Afghanistan becoming once more a platform for international terrorists to plan and organize attacks on our homelands on. We cannot let Isis rebuild in Afghanistan, the terror caliphate it lost in Syria and Iraq. Therefore, we will address NATO’s future presence in Afghanistan at our next defense ministers meeting in February. We will be faced with a difficult choice. Either stay on, pay the price off a continued military engagement or leave on risk that the gains we have made or lost that the peace process falters. This is not the time to conclude, but we have to remember that we went into Afghanistan together on when the time is right, we should leave together in a orderly, uncoordinated way. The second priority of NATO 2030 is the strength NATO as a political alliance. NATO is the only place where countries off Europe and North America meat every day. We need to build on this and use NATO, even MAWR, as a forum for frank discussion on a wide range of security issues from Russia to the Middle East, on from the security impacts of a rising China to climate change on arms control as well as how we deal with new on disruptive technologies for NATO to become stronger politically, we must continue technology that, yes, we have our differences. We have had them in the past and we have them now. We must continue to address any differences, frankly, as allies on as friends. This is what we have been doing. For instance, in the eastern Mediterranean, NATO provided a platform for Greece and Turkey to come together on the basis of international law on allies. All that to establish a military deconfliction mechanism on to cancel some planned military exercises, this type of military deconfliction can prevent dangerous incidents and accidents in the eastern Mediterranean. On it can create the opportunity for political discussions on diplomatic solutions to address underlying disputes. Even in the most heated debate, we should not forget that what unites us is stronger than what divides us. That ultimately we, our NATO allies, commit the door commission to protect and defend one another on committed to our core values democracy, individual liberty On the rule of law. Our voice is more powerful when we stand united. Mhm. The third priority of NATO 2030 is to take a more global approach. We are a regional alliance on, we will remain a regional alliance. But the challenges we face are increasingly global terrorism, cyber threats, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, pandemics on disinformation campaigns. None of our countries, even the biggest ones, can deal with such challenges alone. This is also to our approach to China. China is not our enemy, but its rise is fundamentally shift in the global balance of power, bringing many opportunities, especially for our economists, but also challenges to our security and our technological edge. Increasing the pressure on our values and our way of life on multiplying the threats toe open societies on individual freedoms. So the rights of China requires our continued collective attention to fully understand what it means for our society security on to act accordingly, including by boosting resilience off all our nations on by working even more closely with like minded countries on with organizations like the European Union to defend the global rules institutions that have kept us safe for decades, I welcome the active contribution, or NATO parliamentary assembly to NATO 2030 including through the survey of your members you conducted off the summer. Your written report on discussions with expert group The lively debate you had last month with the deputy secretary general on the reports and the solutions to the to be adopted later at this annual session. Your input will feed into my recommendations for NATO leaders when they meet next year. I’m also consulting with youth leaders, civil society, industry on off course with allied capitals. All of you in the NATO parliamentary assembly play a crucial role in preparing NATO for the future. As we look to 2030 on their own, you ensure we stay safe militarily by deciding our defense budgets. You make a stronger politically by upholding our values, debating differences on keeping our democracy strong on you. Help us take a more global approach by bringing together well over 300 parliamentarians from all NATO allies as social countries on observer delegations. So thank you for your many different contributions on for your continued support for NATO. I look forward to your comments onto your questions