NATO Secretary General: need for transatlantic bond stronger than ever
Attending the Munich Security Conference on Friday and Saturday (17-18 February 2017), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the need for Europe and North America to work together was stronger than ever in times of turmoil and unpredictability. The Secretary General stressed the importance of fair burden-sharing, noting that all 28 Allies have made clear commitments to increase defence spending.
The Secretary General made the case for the importance of the transatlantic bond in his keynote speech on Saturday (18 February 2017). During his two-day visit, the Secretary General also held a range of bilateral talks, including with the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, President Sauli Niinisto of Finland, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Liberman, US Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly and US Senator John McCain.
The Munich Security Conference is one of the world's foremost foreign and security policy gatherings, and more than 30 heads of state and government are scheduled to attend. This year’s conference will focus on transatlantic relations, European security cooperation, relations with Russia and the conflict in Syria.