Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Addresses The 2024 NATO Summit In Washington DC
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivered a speech to the 2024 NATO Summit and marked the 75th anniversary of the alliance.
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NewsTranscript
00:00President Biden, Heads of State and Government, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
00:20It is a great honour to be with you here today, and it is good to see so many friends.
00:30Seventy-five years ago, in this very room, NATO's founding document, the Washington
00:36Treaty, was signed.
00:39Our Alliance was created by people who had lived through two devastating world wars.
00:48They knew only too well the horror, the suffering, and the terrible human cost of war.
00:57They were determined that this should never happen again.
01:02So they founded NATO, with a clear purpose – to preserve peace and safeguard freedom.
01:13A solemn promise.
01:16An ironclad commitment to protect each other.
01:21One for all, and all for one.
01:27I have great respect for the Washington Treaty.
01:33Not least because it is so short.
01:42Just 14 paragraphs, only a few pages.
01:47Never have so few words meant so much to so many.
01:54Peace has been preserved.
01:57Freedom has been safeguarded.
02:00That makes NATO the most successful Alliance in history.
02:06When I arrived at NATO ten years ago, I was told that while it may be the most successful
02:18Alliance in history, it was not the longest-lasting.
02:24That honour belonged to the Delian League of ancient Greek city-states.
02:33But the League lasted 74 years.
02:41So in this 75th anniversary of our Alliance, we can finally say that NATO is not only the
02:49most successful and the strongest, but also the longest-lasting Alliance in history.
03:03To understand the enduring success of NATO, it is important to recognise that our transatlantic
03:13Alliance was never a given.
03:17On the contrary, it is the result of deliberate choices and difficult decisions.
03:26Starting with NATO's creation.
03:30After World War II, many Americans wanted to leave Europe and bring their boys back
03:39home.
03:40Just as the United States did after World War I.
03:47Fortunately this time, courageous leaders on both sides of the Atlantic were able to
03:53defy opposition and create a transatlantic Alliance to deter the Soviet threat.
04:04Gradually a bold and controversial idea emerged that we needed to talk to our enemy to minimise
04:15the risk of an arms race spiralling out of control and leading to nuclear Armageddon.
04:24Step by step, through difficult talks and hard negotiations, an architecture of arms
04:31control was agreed.
04:34Thousands of weapons were destroyed, transparency and trust built.
04:42The world became a safer place due to deterrence and defence, but also due to disarmament and
04:51dialogue.
04:52And in time, the Cold War ended without NATO firing a shot.
05:00This opened a historic window of opportunity and brought us to another critical decision.
05:09Whether to enlarge NATO and welcome all adversaries as new Allies.
05:18The countries of the former Warsaw Pact had already made their choice.
05:25They all wanted to join our Alliance.
05:28Towering personalities like Lech Walesa and Václav Havel led the way.
05:35The question was whether we were ready to open our door.
05:42Some feared that enlargement would dilute and weaken NATO.
05:49And provoke Moscow.
05:52Just as at previous crossroads, it was not an obvious choice.
05:58It was not an easy decision.
06:01And it took time.
06:05But in the end, we stood up for the right of every nation to choose its own path.
06:13We opened NATO's door.
06:16Hardly any decision in modern history has changed Europe more profoundly.
06:24NATO enlargement unified Europe in a way that was previously unthinkable, paved the way
06:31for EU integration and brought peace and prosperity across the continent.
06:38Allies showed clarity and determination then, as we must continue to do now.
06:49Russia's war against Ukraine is the biggest security crisis in generations.
06:56Ukraine has shown remarkable courage.
07:01And NATO Allies have provided unprecedented support.
07:07But let's be honest.
07:11Not even our support for Ukraine has been a given.
07:17It is not straightforward.
07:21Because our support comes with costs and risks.
07:28The reality is, there are no cost-free options with an aggressive Russia as a neighbour.
07:37There are no risk-free options in a war.
07:42And remember, the biggest cost and the greatest risk will be if Russia wins in Ukraine.
07:52We cannot let that happen.
07:58Not only would it embolden President Putin, it will also embolden other authoritarian
08:11leaders in Iran, in North Korea and China.
08:18They all support Russia's brutal war.
08:21They all want NATO to fail.
08:27So the outcome of this war will shape global security for decades to come.
08:36The time to stand for freedom and democracy is now.
08:42The place is Ukraine.
08:53For the last 75 years, the transatlantic relationship has weathered many storms.
09:01We are bound together not only by interests, but also by history, tradition and values.
09:08But our alliance should not be taken for granted.
09:14It was not a given in 1949.
09:18It is not a given now.
09:21And it will not be a given in the decades to come.
09:26Everyone in this room has the responsibility, as political leaders, as experts, as citizens,
09:36we must show the same courage and determination in the future as was demonstrated in the past
09:43when NATO was founded and shaped.
09:47The future of our alliance depends not least on our men and women in uniform.
09:54They put their lives on the line each and every day to keep us safe.
10:02Yesterday I laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery to pay my respects for those who
10:11have made the ultimate sacrifice.
10:15We owe them an eternal debt of gratitude.
10:20We honour them all.
10:24Mr President,
10:26Dear friends,
10:29Our alliance is not perfect.
10:34And we will continue to face difficult decisions in the future.
10:41I do not know what the next crisis will be.
10:46But I do know that we are at our best when we take difficult decisions with political
10:54courage and moral clarity.
10:58And I know that we are stronger and safer together in NATO.
11:04It is good to have friends.
11:06Thank you.
11:07Thank you.
11:08Thank you.