Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Defence Ministers
(As delivered)
So welcome to all of you. Then we are ready to start and ladies and gentlemen welcome to this meeting of Defence Ministers in the North Atlantic Council.
We face the most challenging threats to our security in a generation.
Continued unrest in Ukraine.
Failed and failing states in the south.
The spread of terrorism.
And the largest refugee and migrant crisis in Europe since the end of World War II.
The world has become a more dangerous place. But NATO is responding.
We are delivering modern deterrence and defence against the full spectrum of threats.
We are implementing the most significant boost to our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
After many years of substantial reductions among European Allies and Canada, defence cuts have practically stopped.
And of course I welcome the announcement by the United States of plans to increase both defence spending and military presence in Europe.
Over the next two days, we will review the substantial progress we have made.
And we will look at what more we must do to ensure the security of our Allies.
It is now less than six months until our next Summit meeting, in Warsaw.
There remains a great deal to do.
And this meeting is an important part of that work.
So let me now conclude the public part of our meeting.
And thank the press for being here and taking all the nice pictures of this excellent meeting and then I thank you and we can continue with the other part of the meeting in a moment.