Opening remarks
by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Foreign Ministers’ Session with Sweden, Finland and the European Union
(As delivered)
Welcome. I think we are ready to start. It’s good to see you all this morning.
And today we will have a dedicated session NATO-EU relations.
And NATO and the EU share 22 member states. And more than 90% of the EU population live in a NATO country. We share the same neighbourhood. We share the same complex security challenges. And we both work better when we work together.
This is clear in our response to the migrant and refugee crisis in the Aegean. In our response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its continuing destabilisation of Eastern Ukraine. And in projecting stability with our partners in the south and in the east.
Our organisations have complementary skills, experiences and capabilities.
Furthering our cooperation will be a major goal for our Summit in Warsaw.
Closer NATO-EU cooperation is a necessity not an option and we are taking that cooperation to the next level.
With that I conclude this public part of the meeting and I thank all the media for being in the room and we will soon start the next session of the meeting.