Secretary General attends NATO Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session

The Plenary session was also addressed by David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, John Tanner, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s President, Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, former NATO Secretary General, and Admiral James Stavridis, Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

Looking at Afghanistan, Mr Fogh Rasmussen encouraged NATO parliamentarians and delegates from partner countries - and, through them, their governments - to make more military resources available, in particular for the NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan (NTM-A).

He also called on Allies and Partners to see what more they can do on the civilian side. “Extra military resources from NATO and its partners in ISAF are not a panacea,” he said. “More also needs to be done on the civilian side to boost the Afghan government’s own capacity.”

Addressing the Alliance’s future, the NATO Secretary General raised the need for NATO to continue to adapt to new security challenges, which include energy security, cyber attacks and security implications of climate change.

In particular, he highlighted the importance of a new Strategic Concept for NATO, giving a vision of the Alliance in the changing security environment. “I see it as a means not only to create a new, solid consensus among Allies on our key tasks, but also to re-connect our populations with the new NATO,” he said. “It is their safety and security that we are responsible for – and that we care for.”

The future of peace operations

The Secretary General also gave a speech on the future of peace operations at the University of Edinburgh, where he was welcomed by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, who is Chancellor of the University, and met with Prince Hassan of Jordan.

Addressing an audience of mostly students, the Secretary General looked at how peace operations need to be re-thought in the 21st century. In particular, he stressed the importance for soldiers and civilians to train and work together, building a “Comprehensive approach”.

He mentioned the current example of the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) set up in Afghan provinces, in which soldiers and civilian development experts successfully work together, adding nonetheless that more needs to be done in this respect.

“The days when the military could win the war, and then hand the baton to the civilians to rebuild, are finished," he said. "In today’s peace operations, we need to work together, from beginning to end, if we are to succeed.”