Opening remarks

by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the North Atlantic Council meeting in Defence Ministers' session

  • 13 Feb. 2020 -
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  • Last updated: 13 Feb. 2020 10:41

(As delivered)

Opening remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

So good morning.

It’s great to see you all again.

And today we will discuss our deterrence and defence posture. We will look at what more needs to be done to improve the readiness of our forces. To move them rapidly, and to sustain them. 

As we continue to adapt our posture, we need to continue investing in our defence. We are making good progress. But we can and must do more.

We will also discuss our response to the ongoing Russian missile build-up, both conventional and nuclear.  NATO has been united on Russia’s breach of the INF Treaty. Consulting closely over many years. And agreeing on every step. Last June, we agreed a balanced and defensive package of measures to respond to Russia’s SSC-8 missiles.

Today, we will take a broader look at the full range of Russia’s short and intermediate range missiles, while remaining fully committed to arms control and disarmament. 

This concludes the public part of the meeting and I thank the media for joining us at the start of this meeting.