Opening remarks

by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Foreign Ministers session

  • 01 Dec. 2015 - 02 Dec. 2015
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  • Last updated: 12 Apr. 2016 15:18

(As delivered)

We are ready to start and welcome to all of you and welcome to this session where we will focus on the security challenges we are facing from the South. And we will start in a moment.

Instability and terrorism affect North Africa and the Middle East. But this not only a regional problem. It is a real global problem.

Within just a few weeks, we saw horrendous terrorist attacks in Paris and Ankara, in Beirut and Tunis. And the explosion of the Russian jet in the Sinai.

These attacks are meant to terrify us, but they only strengthen our resolve.

The challenges from the south are many, complex, and on a bigger scale than we have seen ever before.

NATO is responding to these challenges. By strengthening our collective defence. Helping to manage crises. And supporting our partners to secure themselves. Today, we will discuss what more the Alliance will do.

With that, I end the public part of this meeting and thank the representatives from the press for being here. Thank you so much.