Today (15 May 2021), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke virtually at the 3rd German Ecumenical Church Days.
“Our values are the compass that guides us and thanks to our unity and ability to adapt, NATO has kept the peace for more than 70 years. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, NATO welcomed former adversaries from Central and Eastern Europe, helping to spread freedom and democracy and allowing a divided Germany – and a divided continent – to reunite. Today, we are adapting again to an uncertain world, with a more assertive Russia, sophisticated cyber-attacks, brutal terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, and the rise of China. To respond to today’s and tomorrow’s challenges we must recommit to our values, and our collective defence, in full respect of our diversity, so that we can continue to forge consensus, and work together for peace,” Secretary General Stoltenberg said.
“This last year has shown us that we live in a more unpredictable world. So as our world becomes more insecure, we must invest more in our security; because security is the foundation of our freedom and freedom does not come for free. In the pursuit of peace, there are no easy answers, only hard choices; so we must always act responsibly, in respect of international rules and norms, and by putting diplomacy first,” the Secretary General remarked.
“Through our work on NATO 2030, Germany continues to show its leadership, as we set an ambitious agenda for the future,” he added. “NATO 2030 is an important opportunity to reaffirm who we are and what we believe in, by recommitting to our values, strengthening our democracies and coming together to contribute to something greater than ourselves, preserving peace and preventing conflict,” he emphasized.