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(as delivered virtually)
Dear friends,
While unfortunately I cannot be with you today, I’m very grateful for this opportunity to address the Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
And I look forward to joining you in-person next year.
Although this is the first time I am addressing you as NATO Secretary General, I know the importance of your work very well.
You bring the strong voice of democracy to NATO.
You are the bridge between our citizens, our parliaments, and our great Alliance.
Since 1955, you have been the unique forum for members of parliament from across NATO to discuss and inform decisions on Alliance security.
You provide invaluable national perspectives to NATO.
And you help build understanding of NATO’s work in your parliaments.
You embody the spirit of transatlantic cooperation.
We face a more dangerous and uncertain world.
There is war in Europe.
We see China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia joining forces to undermine us.
And threats continue to transcend borders, from terrorism to cyber-attacks.
So it is vital that NATO becomes stronger, more capable, and more agile.
This is exactly what we are doing.
And today I want to share with you my three priorities as Secretary General.
First, strengthening our defences through having the capabilities to protect against any threat, and prevent war by being strong.
Second, supporting Ukraine in fighting back against Russian aggression, which is backed and enabled by North Korea, China and Iran.
And third, addressing the global challenges to Euro-Atlantic security.
On our defences and the required capabilities, we are investing across all domains.
Land, sea, air, space and cyberspace.
Allies are spending more on defence.
This is good, but not good enough.
We must make our deterrence and defence even stronger. The more we spend on defence, the more we reduce the risk of future conflict.
And you have a key role to play.
I count on all of you as parliamentarians to persuade your governments and your constituents to support greater defence spending.
Because we have a duty to ensure we protect our nations, people and values.
And security does not come for free.
In NATO, we have committed to accelerating the growth of defence industrial capacity and production right across the Alliance.
This is a shared endeavour, and our defence industries in North America and Europe are deeply intertwined. We must, therefore, avoid any new protectionism – it will only increase costs, and reduce innovation.
On Ukraine, NATO and Allies are providing critical support to help Ukraine fight for freedom.
Their security is our security.
The more support we provide, the sooner the war can end.
The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger Ukraine is at the negotiating table.
And there cannot be real security in Europe without lasting peace in Ukraine.
And let me be clear. This is not only about security in Europe. Russia’s war against Ukraine plainly shows that our security is not regional, it is global.
China, Iran and North Korea continue to support Russia’s war machine and fuel the flames of conflict.
The deployment of combat troops from North Korea to Russia is a dangerous expansion of the war.
This has implications far beyond Ukraine. In return for troops and ammunition, North Korea gets missile technology. Putting not only South Korea and Japan at greater risk but North America and Europe as well.
So NATO must continue to work with its partners, including in the Indo-Pacific, to promote peace and stability.
The security challenges of today are too many and too great for one nation to bear.
But no nation is alone in NATO,
32 Allies standing together, to defend each other.
Your engagement in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is crucial to strengthening the transatlantic relationship as the foundation of our success.
Thank you for all that you do to keep our Alliance strong!