NATO Secretary General Mark Ruttes first press conference 01 OCT 2024

>> YOUR LINK HERE: ___ http://youtube.com/watch?v=7HT48o2LAAE

Press conference by incoming NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at NATO HQ in Brussels, Belgium, 1 October 2024. • 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: • Good afternoon. • And I am glad to see all you here today. • Brussels has one of the largest international press corps in the world and I am looking forward to be working with you. • First, I want again to express my profound gratitude to Jens Stoltenberg for the tremendous job he has done in the past ten years. • Few leaders of this Alliance faced a more challenging geopolitical environment. • But Jens steered us through difficult times with a steady hand. • He played a big part in making today’s NATO stronger than ever, and he leaves behind an enduring legacy. • I also want to thank the 32 Allies for their trust and confidence, for choosing me as his successor. • I am deeply honoured to serve as Secretary General of NATO – the most successful political-military Alliance in history. • But NATO Allies face serious challenges. And we have work to do. • At the Washington Summit, Allies set a clear course towards a safer world for the 1 billion people we serve. • Now it is my job to ensure that we collectively implement these decisions and continue to adapt our Alliance to a more complex world. • All 32 Allies have their unique role to play. • And there is nothing we cannot achieve together. • I have three priorities: • Ensure we have the capabilities to protect against any threat; • Support Ukraine in fighting back against Russian aggression; and • Addressing the growing global challenges to Euro-Atlantic security. • • First, on our military capabilities. • NATO’s core mission is to ensure our collective deterrence and defence. • Over the past decade, we have made tremendous progress in ensuring we have the forces and capabilities to deter and defend against any threat, from any direction. • But we must go further and faster to meet enormous challenge ahead. • We need more, better equipped forces; • A more robust transatlantic defence industry; • Increased defence production capacity; • Greater investment in innovation; and • Secure supply chains. • Allies are already stepping up, with plans to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems; many hundreds of modern aircraft, mostly 5th generation F-35s; as well as substantial high-end capabilities. • But to truly match our capabilities with our needs, we need significantly more defence spending. • I will work with Allies to ensure that we invest enough, in the right areas, and that we shoulder the burden for our collective defence equitably. • We must each pay our fair share. • My next priority is support for Ukraine. • I have travelled to Ukraine several times in recent years. • To Odessa, Kyiv, Bucha, Borodianka, and Kharkiv, close to the Russian border… • Where I witnessed first-hand the brutality of Russia’s war of aggression, • And the bravery of Ukraine’s people in their fight for freedom. • Supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do. And it is also an investment in our own security. • Because an independent and democratic Ukraine is vital for peace and stability in Europe. • And the cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower than the cost we would face if we allow Putin to get his way. • I know from personal experience, with the downing of flight MH17, how the conflict in Ukraine is not contained to the frontlines. • It was a tragedy that shook my country ten years ago. • One that must never be repeated. • At the Washington Summit, Allies agreed a support package for Ukraine, including with a NATO command, a long-term financial pledge, and an irreversible path to membership. • I will work with Allies to ensure that we fully implement our decisions and that we continue to bring Ukraine ever closer to NATO. • • NATO’s focus must remain, obviously, on Euro-Atlantic security, keeping our 1 billion people safe. • But the threats we face are increasingly global. • Therefore I will deepen our partnerships with like-minded nations, near and far, that share our values. • The European Union is NATO’s unique and essential partner. There is potential to boost our cooperation in many areas, from supporting Ukraine to countering hybrid threats. • Transcript continues: https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/op... • ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ • SUBSCRIBE to this channel https://bit.ly/NATOsubscribe • SUBSCRIBE to NATO News https://bit.ly/NATONewsSubscribe • SUBSCRIBE to NATO History https://bit.ly/NATOHistorySubscribe • Connect with NATO online: • Visit the Official NATO Homepage: https://bit.ly/NATOhomepage • Receive NATO updates via email: https://bit.ly/NATOemails • Find NATO on FACEBOOK: https://bit.ly/NATOfacebook • Follow @NATO on X/TWITTER: https://bit.ly/NATOtwitter • Follow NATO on Instagram: https://bit.ly/NATOinstagram • Find NATO on LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/NATOlinkedin • Find NATO on Flickr: https://bit.ly/NATOflickr • #NATO #OTAN

#############################

New on site