Short remarks

by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken at the start of the meetings of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs

  • 06 Apr. 2022 -
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  • Last updated: 06 Apr. 2022 19:02

(As delivered)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg: Secretary Blinken, dear Tony, welcome back to NATO headquarters, it is always a great pleasure to welcome you. And let me start by thanking you for everything you do. The continued significant support to Ukraine. The sanctions, the heavy costs you're imposing on Russia and the Russian war machine, and also strengthening our collective defence here in Europe with more US presence in Europe. And let me also thank you for your tireless efforts to consult, to coordinate with NATO allies, and to share intelligence and information throughout this crisis. The US leadership has been outstanding and is indispensable. And that is of great importance when we face a very dangerous situation with the ongoing war in Ukraine. So I look forward to sit down with you, with the other Foreign Ministers in NATO and to discuss a wide range of issues today and tomorrow, of course, including Ukraine, but also that we are able to sit down with our Asia Pacific partners Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, and to address the global ramifications of the crisis in Ukraine and how we are going to work together in different areas with our Asia Pacific partners. And then of course, tonight, we will start our meeting with a discussion addressing the Strategic Concept, which is an important document for NATO, outlining how NATO should continue to be the strongest alliance in history, facing a more dangerous world and the new security reality. So once again, welcome. It's great to have you here