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00:00Good afternoon, and I'm glad to see all of you here today.
00:16Brussels has one of the largest international press corps in the world, and I'm looking
00:22forward to be working with you.
00:25First, I want again to express my profound gratitude to Jens Stoltenberg for the tremendous
00:32job he has done in the past ten years.
00:36Few leaders of this Alliance faced a more challenging geopolitical environment.
00:43But Jens steered us through difficult times with a steady hand.
00:48He played a big part in making today's NATO stronger than ever, and he leaves behind an
00:54enduring legacy.
00:56I also want to thank the 32 Allies for their trust and confidence for choosing me as his
01:04successor.
01:05I am deeply honoured to serve as Secretary General of NATO, the most successful political
01:12military alliance in history.
01:16But NATO Allies face serious challenges, and we have work to do.
01:21At the Washington Summit, Allies set a clear course towards a safer world for the one
01:27billion people we serve.
01:29Now it is my job to ensure that we collectively implement these decisions and continue to
01:36adapt our Alliance to a more complex world.
01:41All 32 Allies have their unique role to play, and there is nothing we cannot achieve together.
01:49I have three priorities.
01:52Ensure we have the capabilities to protect against any threat.
01:57Support Ukraine in fighting back against Russian aggression.
02:01And addressing the growing global challenges to Euro-Atlantic security.
02:09First on our military capabilities.
02:12NATO's core mission is to ensure our collective deterrence and defence.
02:19Over the past decade, we have made tremendous progress in ensuring we have the forces and
02:24capabilities to deter and defend against any threat from any direction.
02:31But we must go further and faster to meet the enormous challenge ahead.
02:36We need more better equipped forces.
02:38A more robust transatlantic defence industry.
02:42Increased defence production capacity.
02:45Greater investment in innovation.
02:48And secure supply chains.
02:51Allies are already stepping up, with plans to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery
02:56systems.
02:57Many hundreds of modern aircraft, mostly fifth-generation F-35s.
03:02As well as substantial high-end capabilities.
03:06But to truly match our capabilities with our needs, we need significantly more defence
03:12spending.
03:14And I will work with Allies to ensure that we invest enough in the right areas, and that
03:20we shoulder the burden for our collective defence equitably.
03:24We must each pay our fair share.
03:28My next priority is support for Ukraine.
03:31I have travelled to Ukraine several times in recent years.
03:34To Odessa, Kyiv, Butsa, Borodyanka and Kharkiv, close to the Russian border, where I witnessed
03:41first-hand the brutality of Russia's war of aggression.
03:46And the bravery of Ukraine's people in their fight for freedom.
03:51Supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do.
03:53And it is also an investment in our own security.
03:59As an independent and democratic Ukraine is vital for peace and stability in Europe.
04:05And the cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower than the cost we would face if we
04:11allow Putin to get his way.
04:15I know from personal experience, with the downing of Flight MH17, how the conflict in
04:20Ukraine is not contained to the front lines.
04:24It was a tragedy that shook my country ten years ago.
04:28One that must never be repeated.
04:32At the Washington Summit, Allies agreed a support package for Ukraine, including with
04:38a NATO command, a long-term financial pledge and an irreversible path to membership.
04:46I will work with Allies to ensure that we fully implement our decisions and that we
04:51continue to bring Ukraine ever closer to NATO.
04:58NATO's focus must remain obviously on the Euro-Atlantic security, keeping our one billion
05:03people safe.
05:05But the threats we face are increasingly global.
05:08Therefore, I will deepen our partnerships with like-minded nations, near and far, that
05:14share our values.
05:16The European Union is NATO's unique and essential partner.
05:21There is potential to boost our cooperation in many areas, from supporting Ukraine to
05:28countering hybrid threats.
05:31We will also increase our engagement with partners across the Middle East, North Africa
05:36and the Sahel regions to foster stability in our southern neighbourhood.
05:42We must do more to counter the threat of terrorism to our nations and our populations.
05:49And further afield, we will enhance cooperation with our Indo-Pacific partners.
05:56Through its support for Russia's military industry, China has become a decisive enabler
06:02of Russia's war in Ukraine.
06:05China cannot continue to fuel the largest conflict in Europe since the Second World
06:10War without disimpacting its interests and reputation.
06:17Russia is also receiving support from North Korea and Iran that allows it to sustain its
06:22illegal war.
06:24Later this month, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea are participating in a NATO
06:30defence ministerial for the first time.
06:33I look forward to welcoming them and forging a shared approach to our shared challenges.
06:41Finally, I want to thank all the men and women in uniform serving our Alliance.
06:48You put into practice the defence of our freedoms every day, often at great risk to yourselves.
06:56Thank you for your service.
06:59I look forward to welcoming all of you.
07:01And I cannot wait to get started.
07:04And with that, I am ready to take your questions.
07:08Thank you, Secretary General.
07:10We'll start with the BBC, please.
07:12Thank you very much.
07:17Jonathan Beale, BBC Secretary General.
07:20Congratulations on your appointment.
07:23Could I just ask you two questions?
07:24The first is, the last Secretary General made clear that he supported Ukraine in its request
07:31to use Western-supplied long-range weapons like Storm Shadow, ATACMS, to hit military
07:38targets inside Russia.
07:41What is your position on that?
07:42Do you support Ukraine in its request for Western countries to lift those restrictions?
07:49And will you be asking Western countries to do that?
07:53My second question is, you yourself talked about the need for significant more defence
07:58spending.
07:59I just wondered whether you think you set a good example as a Dutch Prime Minister.
08:05You spent 10 years before you reached 2 per cent.
08:09That was 10 years after NATO Allies met in Cardiff to agree the 2 per cent goal.
08:16Do you think you practised what you preach?
08:19No.
08:20And I'm happy that the Netherlands is now at 2 per cent.
08:24Obviously the 23rd, 24th of February 2022 was a wake-up call for many, also for my country.
08:33And I'm very happy that we are now at 2 per cent, but obviously you have a point here
08:37that we should have done this earlier.
08:39Then on your other question, let's not forget Ukraine is fighting a war of self-defence.
08:47And that means that Ukraine has the right to defend itself.
08:51And as we know, international law, and according to international law, this right does not
08:56end at the border.
08:58So that means that supporting Ukraine's right to self-defence means that it is also possible
09:05for them to strike legitimate targets on the aggressor's territory.
09:12At the end, it's up to each Ally to determine its support for Ukraine.
09:16That's not up to me.
09:18This is for the individual Allies in their relationship with Ukraine.
09:23And we also have to be clear that not one single weapon alone will win the war.
09:28But obviously this is an important debate.
09:30And do you support Ukraine's request?
09:33Well, I can understand Ukraine's request.
09:35I understand.
09:36So I'm with Jens Stoltenberg on this and what he said before.
09:40But in the end, it is up to each Ally to decide what they want to do.
09:44And when I look at the particular Allies which are involved here, they have now, for example
09:49the United States, and their leadership, they have spent tens of thousands, tens of billions
09:55of dollars to support Ukraine's right to self-defence.
10:00And let's be clear, Ukraine likely would not exist as a country today without the US support.
10:06Okay, we'll go to NPR Deutsche Welle, Terry.
10:11Hi, thanks.
10:13Over here, Terry Schultz.
10:15Nice to meet you.
10:16Nice to meet you.
10:17And welcome to NATO HQ.
10:19I've covered four.
10:20You're the fourth Secretary General that I've covered.
10:21To be fair, all of them come in saying that they're going to improve the cooperation with
10:26the European Union.
10:27Maybe you have more EU experience than the rest, so I'm interested in specifically how
10:31you're going to do this.
10:32Is this going to help on military mobility?
10:35And on the capability targets, you've got new defence plans, biggest revamp in decades.
10:41How are you going to help the SACOR come up with these increased number of troops that
10:46they've promised?
10:47And what are you going to do specifically about production capability?
10:53NATO's been saying for years, increase production capacity, and they're still not there.
10:58You've got lower stocks.
10:59What are some specifics you're going to do to get NATO to the warfighting capability
11:03that it's promising with these new operational plans?
11:06Thanks.
11:07Very good question.
11:08Maybe first to start with NATO-EU.
11:14Of course, I'm good friends with all the senior leaders in EU, and I'm looking forward
11:19to work with them.
11:20And I will have meetings soon scheduled with the incoming President of the European Council
11:26and with the President of the European Commission, who will continue in that role, and of course
11:30the other main players.
11:32And I welcome, I must say, EU's efforts to defence.
11:37I think there is a clear recognition, both on the side of NATO and on the European Union,
11:44that we both value a more capable European defence.
11:47Of course, being complementary to and interoperable with NATO.
11:51But that's also what I hear back from the EU side.
11:55Nobody wants parallel structures, nobody wants, let's say, duplication, what NATO already
12:00is doing.
12:01So I think we can be on one page on this.
12:03But clearly also the EU has to now think about how to implement all these policies, and I'm
12:10really looking forward to work with them in conjunction, because at the end we have
12:14the same goal, and that is to keep also this part of the world safe.
12:20On industry, this is clearly for me a priority.
12:25Because without a strong transatlantic defence industry, there can be no defence.
12:33That's clear.
12:34Well, in the past few years, let's say, let's agree that we have seen a marked increase
12:40in defence production across the Alliance.
12:43We are producing more shells, more ships, and more missiles than we have done for decades.
12:49So that is the positive.
12:51But we need to go further, we need to go faster.
12:54That is for our own deterrence and defence, but also in support of Ukraine.
12:59I think NATO has the tools to help increase production, aggregate allied demand, for example,
13:07and deliver capabilities.
13:11And also at the Washington Summit, as you know, the Defence Industrial Pledge was agreed,
13:16and I will be delivering on that pledge in the coming month.
13:20So this is a clear priority, and I'll work with my team and with allies to make sure
13:25that we ramp up defence production, that we look into the reasons why sometimes it
13:31is difficult for companies to do that.
13:33There might be this issue of more longer-term contracts, which I'm hearing, and there are
13:37other issues, and you probably have heard the same, so we have to work on them and make
13:42sure that there is no excuse for anyone not to have a bigger defence production in overall
13:50size than we have at the moment.
23:36At
24:02Thank you, Satya from NHK.
24:11On the IPv4 cooperation, I'd like to ask, could you elaborate more on how you plan to
24:18deepen the ties with the IPv4 countries, and in what fields you wish to deepen the cooperation?
24:28Well, I think this cooperation is crucial.
24:31And I was so happy that at the leaders' level, the last few summits, we saw the Prime Ministers
24:37of New Zealand, Australia, and Japan, and the President of South Korea participating.
24:41And I'm so happy that the Defence Ministers will participate mid-October in the next Defence
24:46Ministerial.
24:47That is crucial.
24:48And why is this crucial?
24:49Because Russia gets support from North Korea, from Iran, but also from China.
24:55There are also other issues at stake in the Indo-Pacific.
25:01And that is why we need to strengthen our ties with our Indo-Pacific partners.
25:07And we also have to discuss to get more and more meat to the bone.
25:12And of course, we can think of many ways to do that.
25:15I'm not going now to go into what that particularly might be, because I want also to discuss this
25:20with the Defence Ministers and with the leaders.
25:24But clearly, there is now a base.
25:27And I know that in all four countries, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, it is very
25:32much high on the agenda.
25:33And they are there for a reason in these summits, because they sense that there is a togetherness,
25:39that there are global threats we have to face.
25:43So there's ample opportunity.
25:45But I think I should first discuss with them some options to, based on this well-established
25:51cooperation, take the next steps.
25:53But clearly, we are going to do that.
25:54That's absolutely my aim.
25:58Okay, I'll go to TRT at the top there.
26:10Mr Secretary General, welcome to Brussels.
26:12Thank you so much.
26:13Congratulations.
26:14You visited Turkey last April and you met with President Erdogan.
26:19As you know, Turkey has expectations such as the fight against terrorism and the lifting
26:26of embargoes between allies.
26:28And at the same time, during Stoltenberg's term, a special coordinator for counterterrorism
26:36was established in NATO.
26:39So in this sense, as a Secretary General, what will be your approach regarding this
26:46matter?
26:48This is a very important issue.
26:49And yes, I discussed it multiple times in meetings I had with President Erdogan.
26:53He and I have worked in all the years that I was Prime Minister, and of course, he was
26:58already Prime Minister before I became Prime Minister, and then he became President of
27:01the Republic.
27:03I think I could say we are close friends and we see eye to eye on this.
27:08And clearly, fighting terrorism is something we also have to take up within the NATO context.
27:16He is not only pushing for that.
27:17I'm absolutely receptive to this because we have to work on this in conjunction.
27:24We will do that.
27:25We will have those discussions.
27:28And also, I think it is important that within NATO, there are no, let's say, boundaries
27:34in terms of who you can supply whatever.
27:37I know there's also sensitivity there and we have to work also on that.
27:45The third, the back.
27:47Welcome.
27:48Congrats, Secretary General.
27:54You mentioned China.
27:55I want to ask, is there a red line for China and its support to Russia that would trigger
28:00a strong NATO response?
28:03Well, at the moment, I think the problem we are facing with China, as I said in my introduction,
28:11is that it is an enabler.
28:13It is an enabler of this, of Russia's brutal war of aggression.
28:18And I was visiting, in my previous role as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, I was visiting
28:22China mid-March and had discussions there with the senior leadership.
28:26And I said, I don't understand why, for close friends, as they call me and others here in
28:33Europe, you bring us under threat that you are supporting Russia, that you are delivering
28:39the microelectronics, that you are delivering the raw materials, the sanctioned circumvention,
28:45the dual-use goods in general.
28:48And this has got to stop.
28:51And it has an impact on their standing in the world, that's clear.
28:54So I'm not now literally going to answer your question.
28:58But clearly, this is an issue we are facing and is also a reason that we have worked to
29:05work closely together also with our friends in the Indo-Pacific.
29:09And Russia, and this is another problem, is not getting all of this for free.
29:14They are not getting the ammunition from North Korea for free.
29:19They are not getting the missiles and drones from Iran for free.
29:23They are not getting the microelectronics and raw materials and other dual-use goods
29:28and all the sanctioned circumvention from China for free.
29:34What Russia has to deliver back to them in return is clearly helping them to develop
29:41their programs, including missile programs and nuclear programs.
29:46And they are violating UN Security Council resolutions.
29:49So this is really a big issue we are facing.
29:53Okay, we'll go to Kurdistan24.
30:04Hello.
30:05Good to see you.
30:06Good to see you again.
30:07I'm very happy to see you.
30:09Over the past decade, you have very good relationship with the Kurdish Authority, especially in
30:17Iraqi Kurdistan region.
30:19So especially during the combat against ISIS, Daesh.
30:24Could you give me or could you promise them you will not leave them alone and continue
30:32to provide and support and training Kurdish Peshmerga to against ISIS?
30:40Yes.
30:41And in general, Iraq, if I may put it like that, obviously we also work closely with
30:47the Kurdish region and with Erbil, but also generally with Iraq.
30:53We work with our partners to build, as you know, stronger security forces.
30:59We are fighting terrorism.
31:02Obviously fully respecting Iraq's sovereignty and independence.
31:06I know that Jens Stoltenberg, my predecessor, he met the Iraqi Prime Minister just a couple
31:11of days ago.
31:12I think it was in New York.
31:14And we will stay in close contact with the government.
31:19And obviously at the same time also very much focusing on the safety of our people there
31:24and taking all the precautions necessary.
31:29We'll go to AFP.
31:30Max.
31:31Secretary General, thank you very much.
31:37Max Delaney, AFP.
31:40Two questions.
31:41Do you think it is possible to do a deal to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours?
31:46And secondly, on Trump, you said you're not worried about him.
31:50But this is a man who said that he would – he has encouraged Russia to do whatever it wants
31:55with countries in NATO that don't pay enough on defence.
31:59Is there any place for language like that that undermines the Article 5 guarantee in
32:03the alliance?
32:06My point is this.
32:07I worked with Donald Trump.
32:09And I think we have to acknowledge that on the two issues I mentioned before on the defence
32:14spending, when Jens Stoltenberg started, it was three countries delivering the 2%.
32:19It is now 23 countries delivering on the 2%.
32:22And the overall spending in NATO now is at 2% or more.
32:27And this is a huge thing.
32:31I would say he, not only he, but also thanks to him pushing this, has been achieved.
32:39And I also mentioned China.
32:42That when he started to talk about China, I believe not everybody was realising the
32:45threat that we had to face and the role it is now playing in Ukraine, for example, and
32:53in the Ukraine war.
32:54So, on these issues, I would think that he had the foresight to work on this.
32:58And I want to acknowledge that.
33:00I'm not going to comment on everything Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, the Vice President,
33:06is saying.
33:07But generally, my impression and my gut feel is, based on all the talks I've had on both
33:13sides of the aisle, including with the candidates, is that they understand that in the end the
33:19transatlantic relationship is crucial, not just for Europe.
33:22It is not there for a historical reason, that they didn't want to make, repeat a mistake
33:25after the First World War, not being involved in Europe.
33:28No, it is crucial for their defence, for their security.
33:34Because if Russia would be successful in gaining more influence in this part of the world,
33:40it would be a direct security threat towards America, towards the United States.
33:45And that includes if Putin would get what he wants in Ukraine.
33:49So that's why I'm making those comments.
33:51I don't want to react on every syllable, every sentence any of the American politicians are
33:57uttering.
33:58But this is my general conviction.
34:00We'll take one final question from ANSA and wrap it up.
34:06Thank you all.
34:07Hello, Secretary-General.
34:08I'm Matteo Bagnoli, ANSA, the National Italian News Agency.
34:14Two questions, if I may.
34:15The first one, in your previous job, one of your main concerns was to be sure that Italy
34:21and other EU countries would spend less and balance the book.
34:25Now ironically, you will need to push for Italy and others to actually spend more.
34:31So what is your strategy?
34:32And balance the book.
34:34And balance the book, by the way, yes.
34:36What is your strategy here, given the fact that budgets in many countries are, as you
34:40know, already stretched?
34:42And secondly, you talked about partnerships.
34:44So what's your vision for the southern neighborhood?
34:47What can NATO do really to be more relevant there?
34:50Yes, well, I'm very happy that Jens Stoltenberg appointed a special representative for the
34:57southern neighborhood.
34:58And I had the opportunity last week to have extensive talks on this issue.
35:03And I think there are ample opportunities to work closer together.
35:09And we have to develop this over the coming months.
35:11So on your first question, well, clearly this is an issue facing many governments.
35:18But hey, at the end, this is what politicians are there to do.
35:22And I know that George Maloney, my successor in the Netherlands, Olaf Scholz, all the leaders
35:28here on the European side, but also in Canada and the US, we know that this is our task
35:33to balance the books, yes, to make sure that you have a situation where you can hand over
35:38to the next generation in a way that the state finances are sustainable, but also to
35:44make sure that the priorities which need to be financed can be financed.
35:48And there are various ways to do that.
35:49But I will not, of course, go into that, because that is different for every country.
35:54What I liked in the EU was that the country-specific recommendations have now been made more central
36:00to the decision-making process.
36:02And I think that system of the CSRs, the country-specific recommendations, is an excellent one, because
36:07it addresses the issues in my country, and my country is now struggling to get the five
36:13billion from the COVID fund.
36:19My government already and this government is working on that to implement all the policies
36:23so that the five billion will be released.
36:25I know that all the governments are working on that.
36:27And it means that in return for more reforms and making your economies more resilient,
36:35the EU is also willing to help in this case with the COVID repair money.
36:41But in the end, that's up to the national governments.
36:42But it is clear we have to defend our alliance.
36:47We have to make sure that our nations, our people, our values are defended.
36:52At this moment, that's absolutely the case.
36:55If anybody attacks NATO, we are ready to reject, and we will win.
36:59But we have to make sure that that is also the case in the coming years.
37:03Do you think you can still go by bike to work?
37:06Oh, let's see.
37:10It's not wise to talk about transport, because it is also related to your security.
37:16You said you're home away from home.
37:18Is Brussels your new home, or will The Hague be your home forever?
37:23Oh, but I will also spend some time in The Hague, but most of my time, of course, in Brussels.
37:27Absolutely.
37:30I'm looking forward to that.
37:32Thank you all.
37:33Thank you, Secretary General.
37:34Thank you all.
37:35I look forward to meeting you many more times in the next years.
37:39Thank you so much.