NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the 73rd Session of the Nordic Council in Copenhagen on Wednesday (3 November 2021), underscoring the importance of strong international institutions in building trust and peace among nations.
Mr Stoltenberg said that organisations like the Nordic Council, NATO, and the European Union have helped to secure the “deep peace” of the Nordic countries since World War II, and that this must continue. The Secretary General also welcomed that security and defence have become a topic for the Nordic Council after many years. He further stressed that “NATO is the most successful alliance in history” because of “our ability to unite, and our ability to change”, saying: “we will need more of both in the years to come, because we live in turbulent times.”
The Secretary General concluded: “I do not believe in Europe alone. I don’t believe in North America alone. I believe in Europe and North America together, in NATO. And in cooperation with key partners. By remaining united and continuing to adapt to a changing world, we will keep the ‘deep peace’ here in the Nordic region and in Europe.”
Established in 1952, the Nordic Council is the official body for formal inter-parliamentary cooperation across the Nordic region. It currently has 87 members, and its work spans across a range of areas, including legislation and justice, sustainable development, digitalisation and innovation, and gender equality and LGBTI issues.