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Pre-ministerial press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg - Opening remarks

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

11 May. 2015

Good afternoon.

The Foreign Ministerial Meeting of NATO which takes place in Antalya this week will take place during a very busy time for NATO because right now troops from across the Alliance are exercising together making sure that our collective defence is strong and ready

The North Sea ships and submarines from ten Allied countries are engaged in a large exercise to detect encounter submarines together with our good partner Sweden.

In Estonia, over 13,000 troops from eight NATO countries are taking part in a major land exercise.

And over the Baltic states and Poland fighter jets for other Allies just started a new rotation providing air police around the clock.

These are just a few examples of how NATO provides deterrence, how we protect our nations against threats from any direction.

At sea, on land, and in the air.

Our activities are defensive.

They are proportionate.

And they are transparent.

They are also long term-planned.

But they are even more relevant in the changed security situation we face today.

The security of our Allies is NATO's core task.

That is why we now are implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.

We will keep NATO strong and we will help keep our neighborhood stable. Because if our neighborhood is stable we will be more secure.

So when Foreign Ministers meet in Turkey we will also discuss what more we can do with our partners and for our partners.

Working with partners around the world enables NATO to project stability without projecting forces and enables our partners to contribute to what we do.

This is good for NATO and it is good for our partners.

By working together we create greater stability and security for us all.

Ukraine is valued partner of NATO. And we will hold a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at this critical time when we meet in Antalya.

NATO is already working closely with Ukraine. We are supporting defence reforms. Helping to set up stronger command, control, and communications.

Effective cyber defence.

And to rehabilitate wounded soldiers.

But in Eastern Ukraine we see more loss of life, a rise in ceasefire violations, obstruction of the monitors and continued Russian support for the separatists. This is a disturbing trend in the wrong direction.

The full implementation of the Minsk agreements is the best way forward to a peaceful solution.

And Russia has a special responsibility to make this happen. So we will also address the strategic implications of a more assertive Russia.

And we will asses with our international partners the extremism and turmoil on our southern borders.

For a decade NATO has played a key role in bringing stability to Afghanistan.

In Antalya we will discuss how to strengthen our partnership with this country for the future.

I expect we will decide to maintain a presence in Afghanistan even after the end of our current mission to train, advice and assist the Afghan security forces.

Afghan soldiers and police have been doing great job since they took responsibility for security at start of this year. But they will continue to need support and we will continue to stand with them.

And with that, I'm ready to take your questions.