Monthly press briefing by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen
NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
02 Apr. 2012
Opening remarks
Good afternoon. We have started the countdown to our Chicago summit. In just over six weeks from now, we will gather to renew the vital bond between European and North American Allies, and to strengthen the bonds with our partners across the globe. So I expect solidarity to be a key theme.
We will show solidarity in supporting Afghanistan through transition, as we agreed at our Libson summit, and beyond. Solidarity in providing the Alliance with the capabilities it needs even in tough times. And solidarity in addressing global security challenges with our partners around the world.
In two weeks time, NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers will meet in Brussels to review our Summit agenda.
Now, first on Afghanistan. We are on track to complete the transition to full Afghan security responsibility by the end of 2014, as we agreed at our Lisbon summit. Our goal remains unchanged. Our roadmap remains unchanged. And our determination remains unchanged.
Over the last 9 months, Afghan forces have been gradually taking the lead for security in areas where half the Afghan population lives. And I expect more provinces and districts to follow soon. At the same time, ISAF has gradually started moving into a supporting role. But we remain ready and able to conduct combat operations whenever and wherever needed.
Despite the challenges, we can see progress on the ground. Attacks initiated by the enemy in January and February were down by 22% compared to the same period last year. In fact, each month since May 2011 has had fewer enemy-initiated attacks than the previous months. This is the longest sustained downward trend recorded by ISAF.
Every day, the Afghan security forces are increasingly showing their ability. They are leading 28% of special operations, 42% of conventional operations, and they are carrying out 85% of the training. This shows transition is achievable, and it is sustainable.
In Chicago, we will map out how we are going to complete the transition, and how we will continue to support Afghanistan beyond 2014. We will agree what kind of mission NATO will have after 2014, to provide the training, assistance and support that Afghans will need. And together with Afghanistan’s international partners, we will show our commitment to playing our part in funding the future Afghan security forces.
Now the second item on the Summit agenda will be our Alliance’s capabilities: the tools we have to overcome the challenges we face. This is a vital issue, not just for one summit, but for years ahead. And it is one which we have to tackle in a time when resources are tight.
In Chicago, we will adopt a package of new measures through Smart Defence. That will ensure we set the right priorities together; encourage Allies to specialise by design, not by default; and foster multinational cooperation so nations can have access to capabilities they cannot afford on their own.
This defence package will also see us adopt a number of multinational projects, each led by one Ally – ranging from pooling maritime patrol aircraft, to joint maintenance of deployed helicopters, to acquiring robots that will keep our soldiers safer from roadside bombs.
Smart Defence represents a renewed culture of cooperation. We are already seeing the benefits of this positive mindset.
A visible example of this is the development of an Alliance Ground Surveillance system, which gives our commanders a full and real-time picture of what is happening on the ground in our operations.
Importantly, we also are building on the experience of past and current operations to maintain the ability of our forces to work together.
So we can look to Chicago with confidence. But Chicago will not be the end of our efforts, only the start. We all have much work to do to ensure NATO remains strong and capable by 2020 and beyond.
Thirdly, in Chicago, I expect we will declare an interim missile defence capability. This is an important first step in bringing together national contributions to build an integrated defence against a real, and growing threat.
Quatrièmement, notre sommet sera aussi l’occasion d’aborder la question des partenariats. Si nous voulons nous acquitter de notre mission de sécurité dans le monde contemporain, nous devons continuer à investir dans des partenariats forts, avec des pays du monde entier. À Chicago, plus de cinquante dirigeants mondiaux devraient prendre part à la réunion qui sera consacrée à la FIAS. Nous réfléchirons à de nouvelles approches pour renforcer nos partenariats – pour faire de l’OTAN le pôle central d’un réseau de sécurité réunissant un grand nombre de pays et d’organisations des quatre coins du monde.
La Russie est, bien sûr, l’un de nos partenaires majeurs. Et je suis heureux de pouvoir dire que la semaine dernière a été particulièrement fructueuse pour la coopération OTAN-Russie.
Lundi dernier – ici-même, à Bruxelles –plus de soixante-dix diplomates et experts militaires et civils des pays de l’OTAN et de la Russie ont participé à un exercice conjoint sur les moyens de faire face à un incident terroriste en haute mer.
Ce fut un exercice très utile, qui nous a permis d’examiner comment nous serions amenés à opérer – et à coopérer – si un incident de ce type devait réellement se produire. Un exercice qui renforce encore la coopération que nous avons déjà engagée dans la lutte contre le terrorisme.
On the same day, NATO and Russia started an exercise on theatre missile defence in a test centre in Germany. This was a computer exercise – so we were not shooting any missiles. And it was based on a completely fictional scenario. But it was a good opportunity to develop, explore and assess various options for conducting missile defence in Europe – and I am extremely glad that it took place.
Counter-terrorism. Missile defence. Those are both areas where NATO and Russia have interests in common. And there are many others. This month I expect we will pass the milestone of having trained 2,000 counter-narcotics officers from Central Asia, under the NATO-Russia Council training programme.
This month, I also expect the opening of a training centre for Afghan army helicopter maintenance, funded by our NATO-Russia Council trust fund. The centre will be in Russia. It will be supported by all of us. And it will help the Afghan forces to fly and maintain their helicopter fleet as transition takes hold.
Finally, this month, I am looking forward to a meeting of all 29 foreign ministers of the NATO-Russia Council in the context of our joint ministerial session. Minister Lavrov has confirmed that he will be coming to Brussels for the meeting. And I am sure that our discussions will be intense, engaging, and fruitful.
Because our shared goal is to build a truly modernised strategic partnership. And the way to do that is through dialogue, and cooperation – just as we are doing.
And with that, I am ready to answer your questions.
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