Doorstep statement

by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with CDU Chairperson Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (Hamburg, Germany)

  • 17 Jan. 2020 -
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  • Last updated: 18 Jan. 2020 09:01

(As delivered)

JENS STOLTENBERG [NATO Secretary General]: Thank you so much, chairperson, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, it’s really a great pleasure to be here and to be able to meet with the leadership of the CDU party. For me, this is an opportunity to discuss with you and the rest of the leadership some of the challenges we face as a transatlantic Alliance, in a more unpredictable world with more uncertainty.

We need strong multilateral institutions like NATO. And I would like to thank you for your strong commitment to NATO, for your leadership and also for our perfect cooperation. I really appreciate working with you. We are faced with a more unpredictable and more uncertain world. NATO has implemented the biggest adaptation of our Alliance in decades, since the end of the Cold War. We have increased the readiness of forces, we have stepped up in the fight against terrorism, and Germany is very much part of that. Germany is contributing to this great adaptation of NATO.

You lead one of our battlegroups in the Baltic countries. You are a lead nation in Afghanistan. And you are lead nation for our presence in the Aegean Sea, helping to implement the agreement between Turkey and the European Union on the migrant and refugee crisis.

I will just highlight that we actually see a paradox today. We see questions being asked about the strength of the transatlantic bond, the bond between North America and Europe. We see that on both sides of the Atlantic. But at the same time, we see that North America and Europe, we are doing more together that we have done for many, many years. The United States is not leaving Europe. Actually, the United States is increasing their presence in Europe with more troops, more forces, more exercises. And European Allies are stepping up, increasing the readiness of our forces and investing more in our shared security.

So for me, this is a great opportunity to meet with the CDU, to discuss everything from Iraq, collective defence, emerging security challenges, and make sure that we continue to strengthen our transatlantic Alliance. Thank you so much.