NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg at Munich Security Conference
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is attending the Munich Security Conference on 12-13 February 2014, against the background of a changed security environment.
The challenges from the east and the south, including NATO's role in tackling the refugee and migrant crisis, were high on the agenda of Mr Stoltenberg's meeting with the British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. Mr Stoltenberg also met the EU High Representative/Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini to discuss the need for even closer cooperation between NATO and the EU after the Alliance's decision to deploy its Standing Maritime Group 2 to the Aegean. Previously, Mr Stoltenberg spoke about EU-NATO cooperation in dealing with the refugee and migrant crisis with the President of the European Commision Jean-Claude Juncker and the President of the European Council Donald Tusk.
The NATO Secretary General and the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov reviewed NATO-Russia relations and agreed to continue exploring the possibility of a NATO-Russia Council meeting. The Secretary General made clear that for NATO, the agenda of a possible NRC meeting must include Russia's actions in Ukraine, and the need for stronger mechanisms for transparency and predictability of military activities. NATO suspended practical cooperation due to Russia's illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea, but kept open channels of political dialogue.
Mr Stoltenberg also met the Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Lamberto Zannier, to discuss the state of the ceasefire in Eastern Ukraine, the need for transparency and predictability in military activities in Europe, and further strengthening the cooperation between NATO and the OSCE.
The NATO Secretary General will make a keynote speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, February 13.