Allied Foreign Ministers discuss report by Group of Experts on NATO’s southern neighbourhood
- English
- French
Meeting in Brussels on 4 and 5 April, Foreign Ministers discussed the findings of the review conducted by an independent Group of Experts on NATO’s approach on its southern neighbourhood. The review highlights the linkage between the security of NATO’s southern neighbourhoods – North Africa, the Middle East, the Sahel region and adjacent regions – and that of NATO Allies. It also underscores that deep-rooted localized challenges are now exacerbated by global strategic competition and threat-multipliers, such as climate change.
The Group of Experts pointed out that NATO should continue to adopt a comprehensive approach based on dialogue, outreach and practical cooperation with international and regional organisations and partner countries. The Group found that NATO should focus its efforts particularly on areas such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, resilience, climate security, Women, Peace and Security and human security. It should invest further in training and building partners’ capacity to manage complex security challenges within their neighbourhoods. At the Washington Summit in July, NATO Heads of State and Government will consider concrete proposals informed by the review’s findings.
The independent Group of Experts was appointed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg last October. It was composed of eleven experts and engaged with the North Atlantic Council, senior Allied civilian and military staff, NATO partners in the southern neighbourhood, as well as experts from academia and civil society.