NATO Deputy Secretary General and Chairman of the Military Committee attend Halifax International Security Forum
NATO Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller stressed the enduring importance of international cooperation in remarks at the Halifax International Security Forum on Sunday (18 November 2018). Paraphrasing French diplomat and European Union founding father Jean Monnet, she said: “for the lessons of history to be learned, they must be embedded in institutions”.
Ms. Gottemoeller also highlighed NATO’s continuous adaptation to emerging security challenges. She pointed in particular to cyber defence innovation, and to the Alliance’s recent Trident Juncture exercise – which brought together around 50,000 troops from 31 countries to practice collective defence. The Deputy Secretary General’s co-panellists were Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Marc-André Blanchard; France’s ambassador to the OSCE, Veronique Roger-Lacan; and Dr. Mustafa Barghouti, co-founder of Mubadara.
Earlier on Sunday, the Deputy Secretary General held a meeting about NATO’s support for Ukraine with Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin. She then met with Chilean Defense Undersecretary Cristián de la Maza for talks focused on cyber defenders. Ms Gottemoeller also met with the inaugural class of the Halifax Forum’s “Peace with Women” Fellowship – which aims to create a substantial network of female military leaders around the world.
On Saturday, Ms. Gottemoeller met a US Congressional delegation for talks on NATO’s adaptation to current security challenges. The US Congress was represented by Senators Chris Coons, Deb Fischer, Tim Kaine, Mike Rounds, Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker, as well as Representative Mike Gallagher. The Deputy Secretary General later met with Canadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, and with Deputy Foreign Minister Ian Shugart. She also met Mr Rrustem Berisha and LTG Rrahman Rama from Kosovo, and had brief exchanges with US General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and with Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar.
The Deputy Secretary General was joined in Halifax by the Chairman of the Military Committee, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, who participated in the Forum’s opening plenary session on Friday, together with Canadian Defence Minister Sajjan, and US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker.
The Halifax International Security Forum, of which NATO is a partner, is a leading security conference which has taken place annually in Nova Scotia since 2009.
While in Canada, the Deputy Secretary General will also address the 64th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Halifax on Monday 19 November.