Doorstep statement

Good afternoon.

Today, Foreign Ministers will meet and prepare the leaders meeting in London in the beginning of December.

At our meeting today the Foreign Ministers will address the progress we are making on a wide range of issues, including on burden sharing.

We now have 5 consecutive years of increased defence investments across Europe and Canada and Allies are investing in new, high end modern capabilities. They are contributing more to NATO missions and operations, and we have to make sure that we maintain the momentum, that we continue to invest more in our security.

We will also make decisions demonstrating that we continue to adapt and modernize the Alliance. I expect the ministers to declare space as operational domain, alongside air, sea, land and cyber. Space is extremely important for all civilian and military activities, for communications, for navigation, for the transmission of data, so of course space and satellites are of great importance for all NATO Allies. We will not weaponise space, we will not deploy weapons in space, but we make sure that the assets there are available in peace, crisis and conflict.

Then we will also address other issues of strategic importance, like Russia. Arms control and the rise of China. NATO remains the only platform where North America and Europe meet on a daily basis, discuss, take decisions and make sure that we remain the strong Trans Atlantic bond and with that I’m ready to take some questions.