Message

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte:

Good morning. It's a great privilege to be with you today. I'm always very honoured to meet with the troops serving under the NATO flag. I visited our forces in Estonia, Latvia, Bulgaria and Iraq. I also met with the men and women in uniform working at our command in Germany, responsible for NATO Security and Assistance Training in Ukraine. And today, I get to visit once again, the professionalism, commitment and resolve of all of you here. It is truly impressive and admirable.

Thank you to Spain for leading this Forward Land Force with its soldiers serving alongside troops from Czechia, Portugal and Slovenia. You all stand shoulder to shoulder with Slovak forces to bolster NATO's deterrence and defence here on the eastern flank. And this is crucial, because in dangerous times, you help send a powerful message to the world that nobody should ever even consider attacking us. You help keep the 1 billion people across our Alliance free and safe. That is NATO's core mission. And that is possible thanks to your presence and thanks to your dedication.

So again, thank you very, very much. And keep up the great work.