WEBVTT 00:13.976 --> 00:14.864 - Good afternoon. 00:14.864 --> 00:15.831 Thank you very much for coming. 00:15.831 --> 00:19.599 The Secretary General will start by previewing 00:19.599 --> 00:21.711 the meeting of Foreign Ministers this week 00:21.711 --> 00:25.072 and then, as usual, he'll be happy to take your questions. 00:25.072 --> 00:26.328 Secretary General? 00:26.328 --> 00:27.745 - Good afternoon. 00:28.081 --> 00:30.278 We will have the Foreign Ministerial meeting 00:30.278 --> 00:34.024 taking place tomorrow and the day after tomorrow 00:34.024 --> 00:38.107 and Foreign Ministers will address several issues 00:38.479 --> 00:41.979 which are high on the agenda and which are 00:43.117 --> 00:45.367 important for our security. 00:45.952 --> 00:49.353 And let me briefly take you through the agenda 00:49.353 --> 00:53.353 and share some thoughts about the most important 00:55.068 --> 00:57.066 issues which will be addressed under 00:57.066 --> 00:59.399 the different agenda points. 00:59.976 --> 01:01.476 First, Montenegro. 01:02.575 --> 01:06.658 Tomorrow we will welcome Prime Minister Dukanovic 01:07.135 --> 01:09.718 to sign the Accession Protocol. 01:10.856 --> 01:13.467 Following that ceremony, Montenegro will, 01:13.467 --> 01:17.467 as of tomorrow, participate in all NATO meetings 01:18.210 --> 01:20.377 as an observer or invitee. 01:24.584 --> 01:28.167 Once all Allies have ratified the protocol, 01:28.581 --> 01:31.094 Montenegro will become the 29th member 01:31.094 --> 01:34.344 of the Alliance, a clear sign that NATO 01:34.983 --> 01:38.816 continues to help build stability and security 01:39.584 --> 01:41.501 in the Western Balkans. 01:44.075 --> 01:47.658 Our second meeting will focus on projecting 01:47.858 --> 01:50.858 stability in our wider neighborhood. 01:51.485 --> 01:54.061 This means helping our partners strengthen 01:54.061 --> 01:58.061 their own forces and secure their own countries, 01:58.896 --> 02:02.896 because this enhances our security here at home, 02:03.055 --> 02:03.888 as well. 02:05.238 --> 02:09.405 We will discuss what more NATO can do to support Iraq. 02:11.442 --> 02:15.426 We are already training several hundred Iraqi officials 02:15.426 --> 02:16.259 in Jordan. 02:17.483 --> 02:20.066 We have received a request from 02:20.267 --> 02:24.434 Prime Minister al-Abadi to expand our training mission 02:25.640 --> 02:29.807 into Iraq itself, and we will consider this request 02:30.492 --> 02:32.909 from Prime Minister al-Abadi. 02:34.458 --> 02:38.597 In the Aegean Sea, NATO ships are helping cut the lines 02:38.597 --> 02:42.347 of illegal trafficking and illegal migration. 02:43.183 --> 02:47.350 We are making a real difference as part of a broader 02:47.635 --> 02:49.385 international effort. 02:50.922 --> 02:54.463 Figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees 02:54.463 --> 02:58.546 indicate that the average daily arrivals in April 02:58.889 --> 03:02.889 were down around 90% from the month before. 03:05.779 --> 03:09.946 And we will explore what more the Alliance could do 03:10.298 --> 03:13.450 in the central Mediterranean, in cooperation 03:13.450 --> 03:15.450 with the European Union. 03:18.121 --> 03:20.552 We will also talk about Russia 03:20.552 --> 03:24.219 and our policy toward our eastern neighbors. 03:24.317 --> 03:27.886 Our approach to Russia combines strong defense 03:27.886 --> 03:30.303 and deterrence with dialogue. 03:30.900 --> 03:34.806 We have already decided to enhance our presence 03:34.806 --> 03:37.806 in the eastern part of our Alliance. 03:38.463 --> 03:42.016 Our military planners have put forward proposals 03:42.016 --> 03:45.618 for several battalions in different countries 03:45.618 --> 03:46.785 in the region. 03:47.672 --> 03:51.839 No decision has been taken on the numbers and locations, 03:52.979 --> 03:57.146 but we are now considering the scale and the scope 03:58.316 --> 04:00.649 of our presence in the east. 04:01.783 --> 04:05.366 NATO is a defensive Alliance and we will do 04:07.841 --> 04:10.841 what it takes to defend our citizens 04:11.609 --> 04:15.026 in a responsible and proportionate manner 04:16.515 --> 04:20.682 and in accordance with our international obligations. 04:21.509 --> 04:25.092 At the same time, we continue to strive for 04:25.512 --> 04:29.595 more transparency in our relationship with Russia 04:30.142 --> 04:34.309 on military matters and reduce the risks of incidents 04:35.094 --> 04:38.177 or accidents spiraling out of control 04:39.924 --> 04:42.674 NATO does not seek confrontation. 04:43.457 --> 04:45.814 It is in everyone's interest to avoid 04:45.814 --> 04:47.147 a new arms race. 04:51.185 --> 04:55.352 On Friday we will focus on NATO/EU cooperation. 04:56.395 --> 04:59.299 The foreign ministers of Finland and Sweden, 04:59.299 --> 05:03.049 two of NATO's closest partners, will join us. 05:03.685 --> 05:07.852 NATO and the EU face unprecedented security challenges. 05:08.161 --> 05:11.231 To address them, we are working closer together 05:11.231 --> 05:12.648 than ever before. 05:13.061 --> 05:14.978 But we need to do more. 05:15.909 --> 05:18.327 We will discuss how to take our cooperation 05:18.327 --> 05:22.327 with the EU to a new level at the Warsaw Summit. 05:23.941 --> 05:27.634 This could include a statement expressing our will 05:27.634 --> 05:31.801 to work even more closely together on hybrid threats, 05:32.446 --> 05:36.613 maritime and cyber cooperation, and on other areas, 05:39.694 --> 05:42.640 playbooks for dealing with a range of hybrid warfare 05:42.640 --> 05:46.807 scenarios to help speed up decision making and clarify, 05:47.598 --> 05:51.765 in advance, who does what, and linked NATO/EU exercises 05:53.880 --> 05:57.797 to test reactions to an emerging hybrid threat. 05:59.478 --> 06:03.061 Finally, we will discuss our future support 06:03.440 --> 06:07.607 for Afghanistan, including plans for a Resolute Support 06:08.335 --> 06:11.200 mission and continued financial support for 06:11.200 --> 06:13.450 the Afghan Security Forces. 06:13.959 --> 06:17.459 We have already decided to enhance, sorry, 06:17.925 --> 06:22.092 our Ministerial meeting will begin exactly 50 days 06:23.787 --> 06:27.037 before we meet at our summit at Warsaw. 06:27.480 --> 06:31.248 The decisions we take at this Ministerial meeting 06:31.248 --> 06:33.893 will pave the way to the summit. 06:33.893 --> 06:37.606 At the summit we will take the necessary decision 06:37.606 --> 06:40.189 to protect our citizens at home 06:40.611 --> 06:44.278 and to project stability beyond our borders. 06:44.897 --> 06:48.524 And with that, I'm ready to take your questions. 06:48.524 --> 06:51.466 - Okay, we'll start with Wall Street Journal, 06:51.466 --> 06:52.383 over there. 06:54.303 --> 06:57.720 - I wonder if you are in favor of another 06:59.879 --> 07:03.379 NATO-Russia council meeting before Warsaw, 07:04.813 --> 07:07.328 and whether you think the foreign ministers 07:07.328 --> 07:10.435 will make a decision on such a meeting 07:10.435 --> 07:12.018 in the coming days. 07:15.283 --> 07:17.897 - Our relationship with Russia will be one of the 07:17.897 --> 07:21.855 issues we will address at the Foreign Ministerial Meeting. 07:21.855 --> 07:23.996 What I will do is I will report back, 07:23.996 --> 07:28.163 update the ministers on the outcome of the meeting 07:28.756 --> 07:30.177 of the NATO-Russia council. 07:30.177 --> 07:33.161 We just convened a couple of weeks ago. 07:33.161 --> 07:35.018 And the reason why I will do that is that 07:35.018 --> 07:38.050 it was actually the foreign ministers, in the last meeting, 07:38.050 --> 07:40.642 that decided that we should take the initiative 07:40.642 --> 07:44.268 to convene the NATO-Russia council based on the 07:44.268 --> 07:48.351 idea that our approach to Russia is based on this 07:48.664 --> 07:52.664 dual track of strength, deterrence and dialogue. 07:54.190 --> 07:57.719 And I will report back on the meeting we had, 07:57.719 --> 08:01.469 telling them that, of course, we didn't solve 08:02.034 --> 08:05.951 all the problems, all the outstanding different 08:06.594 --> 08:09.400 challenges between the relationship between NATO 08:09.400 --> 08:12.733 and Russia, but we had a useful meeting. 08:13.348 --> 08:17.515 We addressed issues like Ukraine, military activity, 08:19.336 --> 08:23.073 transparency, risk reductions, and, also, Afghanistan. 08:23.073 --> 08:26.073 And we did that in a frank, open way 08:26.246 --> 08:28.219 and I think the meeting was useful. 08:28.219 --> 08:31.469 This I will inform the ministers about, 08:31.935 --> 08:34.301 and then, based on that, we will have a discussion 08:34.301 --> 08:38.468 related to convening a new meeting of the NATO-Russia 08:40.527 --> 08:41.360 council. 08:41.716 --> 08:45.883 So a possible further meeting of the NATO-Russia Council 08:48.354 --> 08:50.585 will be discussed at the Foreign Ministerial Meeting 08:50.585 --> 08:53.201 and I think it's wrong if I start to pre-judge 08:53.201 --> 08:55.648 the outcome of that discussion which will then 08:55.648 --> 08:57.315 take place tomorrow. 08:58.231 --> 09:00.148 - Montenegro Public TV. 09:00.720 --> 09:04.172 - You already said that NATO member states 09:04.172 --> 09:06.729 tomorrow sign the protocol of Montenegro's succession, 09:06.729 --> 09:09.136 so what's your message to the Montenegrin people today, 09:09.136 --> 09:12.861 before the signing and do you think it is also a 09:12.861 --> 09:15.361 historic day for the Alliance? 09:16.738 --> 09:20.020 - It is a historic day for the Alliance, 09:20.020 --> 09:23.687 for Montenegro, and for the stability of the 09:26.071 --> 09:27.404 Western Balkans. 09:28.825 --> 09:32.408 Because Montenegro, the enlargement of NATO 09:33.525 --> 09:37.692 with Montenegro, confirms that NATO's door is open 09:40.225 --> 09:44.308 and it's one new step in a very successful policy 09:45.645 --> 09:49.812 of enlargement of both NATO and the European Union 09:50.558 --> 09:54.535 and that the enlargement of NATO over many years 09:54.535 --> 09:58.702 has contributed to stability, to peace, and security 09:58.712 --> 10:02.624 in Europe, and now Montenegro is going to be part of that. 10:02.624 --> 10:06.041 Of course, this has to be ratified by all 10:08.060 --> 10:12.143 28 allied parliaments in the 28 allied countries, 10:14.151 --> 10:16.591 but there is a strong support and we sign the 10:16.591 --> 10:20.341 Accession Protocol tomorrow and from tomorrow 10:21.072 --> 10:24.381 Montenegro will participate in all NATO meetings 10:24.381 --> 10:27.714 as an observer so it is a historic date, 10:29.035 --> 10:31.785 both for Montenegro and for NATO. 10:33.657 --> 10:35.490 - Reuters, over there? 10:36.862 --> 10:38.314 - Thanks, Robin Emmott, Reuters. 10:38.314 --> 10:39.867 Secretary General, could you give us an 10:39.867 --> 10:42.867 update on your thinking about Libya? 10:43.872 --> 10:47.381 Is there any consensus on doing defense capacity building 10:47.381 --> 10:48.714 in Libya itself? 10:49.072 --> 10:50.590 Do you think that will be discussed 10:50.590 --> 10:51.711 on Thursday or Friday? 10:51.711 --> 10:55.145 And also, when it comes to working more with the EU 10:55.145 --> 10:59.063 Libya seems like the sort of natural theater for that. 10:59.063 --> 11:02.002 Can you give us any update beyond what you said 11:02.002 --> 11:03.615 in your trip to Washington? 11:03.615 --> 11:04.448 Thank you. 11:05.206 --> 11:08.719 - We will discuss what NATO can do to support 11:08.719 --> 11:11.052 the new government in Libya, 11:12.063 --> 11:14.896 the Government of National Accord. 11:15.080 --> 11:18.747 And NATO has a very clear mandate from our heads of state 11:18.747 --> 11:21.580 and government that we should stand ready 11:21.580 --> 11:25.580 to support the new Government of National Accord 11:28.003 --> 11:30.170 in Libya, if so requested. 11:33.050 --> 11:36.353 And we will discuss how we can do that at the 11:36.353 --> 11:38.412 Foreign Ministerial Meeting. 11:38.412 --> 11:42.401 We are not addressing any potential combat operation 11:42.401 --> 11:44.901 or some military intervention. 11:45.682 --> 11:48.658 What we are addressing and what we are going to discuss 11:48.658 --> 11:51.184 at the Foreign Ministerial Meeting is the potential 11:51.184 --> 11:55.267 or possible assistance and help when it comes to, 11:55.601 --> 11:57.815 for instance, institution building. 11:57.815 --> 12:01.982 Because to have strong defense institutions, structures, 12:05.449 --> 12:09.616 plans, security strategies are of great importance 12:11.186 --> 12:15.353 and, of course, the more we are focused on how we can 12:18.208 --> 12:22.375 train and help Libya, the more important it is also 12:22.883 --> 12:25.985 to have the structures and the institutions 12:25.985 --> 12:29.318 which these soldiers can work as part of 12:29.493 --> 12:30.910 or in support of. 12:31.973 --> 12:34.140 So we will look into that. 12:34.551 --> 12:38.468 I spoke recently with the Libyan prime minister 12:39.058 --> 12:42.828 and he is very much aware of the mandate we have in NATO 12:42.828 --> 12:46.995 to provide support and we will continue to discuss 12:47.927 --> 12:51.415 both among the 28 Allies, but also with Libya, 12:51.415 --> 12:53.165 how we can help them. 12:55.100 --> 12:58.267 And, of course, everything NATO does will be 12:58.267 --> 13:01.684 in close coordination with the efforts of 13:01.915 --> 13:04.748 the European Union, UN, and others 13:04.963 --> 13:09.046 and it has to add value to the efforts of others. 13:09.587 --> 13:11.170 - Second row, here. 13:12.779 --> 13:15.701 - Secretary General, one more question about Montenegro. 13:15.701 --> 13:17.424 What's your point of view? 13:17.424 --> 13:21.591 Does the government of Montenegro, should it organize 13:21.694 --> 13:25.697 the referendum on this topic or the decision of the 13:25.697 --> 13:27.663 government of the parliament is enough? 13:27.663 --> 13:28.714 And second question. 13:28.714 --> 13:31.829 The Russian authorities have already mentioned 13:31.829 --> 13:35.078 that they are really worried about this enlargement 13:35.078 --> 13:37.789 and can take some response measures, 13:37.789 --> 13:40.988 for example, economical measures, have you discussed 13:40.988 --> 13:43.891 this topic with your Montenegrin colleagues 13:43.891 --> 13:45.725 and are they worried about that? 13:45.725 --> 13:46.558 Thank you. 13:47.662 --> 13:51.829 - There's a fundamental principal that every nation, 13:52.222 --> 13:56.267 every independent, sovereign nation has the right 13:56.267 --> 13:59.603 to decide its own path, including to decide 13:59.603 --> 14:03.770 what kind of security arrangements it wants to be part of. 14:04.191 --> 14:07.249 And Montenegro has decided, as an independent, 14:07.249 --> 14:10.095 sovereign nation, they want to be part of NATO. 14:10.095 --> 14:14.178 And 28 NATO Allies have decided that they welcome 14:14.799 --> 14:16.549 Montenegro into NATO. 14:18.780 --> 14:20.241 And, therefore, I very strongly believe 14:20.241 --> 14:23.991 that there is absolutely no reason whatsoever 14:24.125 --> 14:27.125 to try to deny Montenegro that right 14:30.222 --> 14:34.389 to make their own, independent, sovereign decisions. 14:35.807 --> 14:39.716 And, therefore, any sanctions or reactions from 14:39.716 --> 14:42.799 Russia will be absolutely unjustified 14:43.248 --> 14:46.565 because it's about respecting the sovereign decision 14:46.565 --> 14:50.023 of a sovereign nation, Montenegro, to decide 14:50.023 --> 14:51.356 on its own path. 14:51.756 --> 14:55.089 And that should be expected by everyone. 14:55.489 --> 14:58.256 Then, on how Montenegro should make the decision, 14:58.256 --> 15:00.342 that's up to Montenegro to decide 15:00.342 --> 15:03.572 because Montenegro is an independent, sovereign, 15:03.572 --> 15:04.907 democratic state. 15:04.907 --> 15:08.674 So whether that decision is by decisions in a democratic 15:08.674 --> 15:11.674 elected parliament or in other ways, 15:12.078 --> 15:13.281 that's up to them to decide, 15:13.281 --> 15:15.410 as long as this is a democratic decision. 15:15.410 --> 15:19.206 And that's what's going to take place in Montenegro. 15:19.206 --> 15:20.706 - DPA, over there. 15:21.128 --> 15:21.961 Thanks. 15:22.696 --> 15:25.782 - Secretary General, Montenegro is going to join NATO. 15:25.782 --> 15:27.532 What about Macedonia? 15:31.956 --> 15:35.873 - When it comes to the former Yugoslav republic 15:36.462 --> 15:40.629 of Macedonia, we are following the developments there 15:44.019 --> 15:45.102 very closely. 15:46.122 --> 15:50.289 And I would like to express concern about what we see 15:51.316 --> 15:54.149 related to the political situation 15:59.148 --> 16:02.981 and it is important that the minimum condition 16:03.973 --> 16:07.973 for normal political democratic life is in place 16:12.374 --> 16:16.541 and we have seen, with the invitation of Montenegro 16:21.088 --> 16:24.671 to join the Alliance, that the door of NATO 16:25.300 --> 16:26.467 is still open. 16:27.702 --> 16:31.869 But it is crucial that if we are going to move further 16:32.373 --> 16:36.540 with FYROM, then we both have to solve the problems 16:37.601 --> 16:41.768 related to that name, but also we have to make sure 16:42.656 --> 16:45.989 that minimum conditions are put in place 16:45.996 --> 16:47.913 for credible elections. 16:49.306 --> 16:51.703 And it is also crucial that the country's leaders 16:51.703 --> 16:54.961 address persisting rule overall problems, 16:54.961 --> 16:58.365 including revoking the recent presidential pardons, 16:58.365 --> 17:02.198 supporting the work of the special prosecutor. 17:02.257 --> 17:03.900 So there are reasons to be concerned 17:03.900 --> 17:06.082 and we are following the developments in the 17:06.082 --> 17:10.249 former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia very closely. 17:11.998 --> 17:12.831 - NTV? 17:13.879 --> 17:17.462 - Yes, Secretary General, Solomon from NTV. 17:17.729 --> 17:20.004 The security situation in the border 17:20.004 --> 17:23.171 between Turkey and Syria is really bad 17:23.445 --> 17:26.005 and there's more and more attacks from ISIL 17:26.005 --> 17:29.483 and other terrorist organizations towards Turkey. 17:29.483 --> 17:32.763 Last December, Allies have decided to reinforce 17:32.763 --> 17:35.325 the security of Turkey and and assist, 17:35.325 --> 17:37.170 and a bunch of decisions has been taken, 17:37.170 --> 17:40.066 but there are still short-comings on that. 17:40.066 --> 17:42.937 So, to that end, will you discuss this situation 17:42.937 --> 17:45.937 and call the Allies who have pledged 17:46.972 --> 17:50.805 some help to Turkey to reinforce the security, 17:51.105 --> 17:54.605 and what is your view about the situation? 17:54.904 --> 17:56.928 What would be the message from NATO 17:56.928 --> 17:59.318 and the Allies to the population on-sight? 17:59.318 --> 18:00.151 Thank you. 18:02.881 --> 18:05.523 - The situation along the border between 18:05.523 --> 18:09.690 Turkey and Syria will be discussed, and, of course, 18:09.712 --> 18:13.879 we are concerned because we have seen several attacks 18:14.487 --> 18:16.446 and we have seen, also, a high number 18:16.446 --> 18:18.275 of civilian casualties. 18:18.275 --> 18:20.692 Innocent people being killed. 18:20.916 --> 18:25.083 And, therefore, this is of great concern for all of us 18:25.295 --> 18:28.679 and NATO stands in solidarity with Turkey 18:28.679 --> 18:32.846 and I discussed this difficult and tense situation 18:33.355 --> 18:37.453 along the Syrian/Turkish border when I recently 18:37.453 --> 18:41.423 visited Ankara, and met with the Prime Minister, 18:41.423 --> 18:45.340 President, and several other political leaders. 18:45.991 --> 18:48.491 So this is high on our agenda. 18:48.897 --> 18:51.057 Underlining the importance of that, 18:51.057 --> 18:54.722 NATO continues to implement assurance measures 18:54.722 --> 18:55.639 for Turkey. 18:56.154 --> 18:59.491 We have deployed and decided, also, to maintain 18:59.491 --> 19:03.158 the deployment of Spanish Patriot batteries. 19:03.674 --> 19:07.007 We have the air VACS flying surveillance 19:15.509 --> 19:16.509 over Turkey. 19:17.422 --> 19:21.589 And we have, also, increased the number of port visits, 19:24.007 --> 19:28.174 port calls, of Naval ships from NATO allied countries. 19:32.573 --> 19:35.906 We are looking into what more we can do, 19:35.963 --> 19:39.273 but I think the important message is that 19:39.273 --> 19:43.071 the situation along the Syrian/Turkish border 19:43.071 --> 19:46.206 underlines the importance of one of the main topics 19:46.206 --> 19:49.612 of the Foreign Ministerial Meeting, and that is 19:49.612 --> 19:52.723 how can we project stability beyond our borders, 19:52.723 --> 19:54.553 because we see the very close link between 19:54.553 --> 19:58.576 stability in our neighborhood and threats against 19:58.576 --> 20:02.743 our countries and our territories and our borders. 20:02.899 --> 20:04.844 And, therefore, everything we can do to support 20:04.844 --> 20:07.485 the efforts of the coalition fighting ISIL 20:07.485 --> 20:09.668 is also important for Turkey. 20:09.668 --> 20:13.709 As I said, we are now looking in to whether we shall 20:13.709 --> 20:17.771 step up, increase, our efforts to train Iraqi officers, 20:17.771 --> 20:21.188 increasing their capability to fight ISIL 20:22.273 --> 20:25.690 and we will look into what more we can do 20:26.526 --> 20:30.693 in providing support for the coalition fighting ISIL. 20:33.092 --> 20:34.425 - France Presse. 20:35.667 --> 20:38.250 - Secretary General, thank you. 20:39.326 --> 20:43.159 On the question of the coalition against ISIS, 20:43.461 --> 20:47.259 there has been a request by the U.S. authorities government 20:47.259 --> 20:51.426 for NATO to play on its own role in this coalition. 20:51.790 --> 20:54.133 Will this be discussed or will a decision be made 20:54.133 --> 20:56.383 during the coming two days? 20:56.480 --> 20:59.887 And on the AWACS, there was a decision to do back-filling. 20:59.887 --> 21:02.781 Has this started and in which countries 21:02.781 --> 21:05.198 especially has it started to, 21:05.240 --> 21:07.476 the back-filling to the U.S.? 21:07.476 --> 21:11.393 There has been talk of the U.S. also requesting 21:11.468 --> 21:15.180 a direct deployment of AWACS above Syria and Iraq. 21:15.180 --> 21:18.200 Is this being considered and will a decision be made? 21:18.200 --> 21:19.033 Thank you. 21:24.161 --> 21:26.056 - As I said, one of the main topics 21:26.056 --> 21:27.767 of the Foreign Ministerial Meeting and also 21:27.767 --> 21:30.333 one of the main topics of the upcoming summit 21:30.333 --> 21:34.120 in July will be what we call projecting stability 21:34.120 --> 21:35.555 beyond our borders. 21:35.555 --> 21:37.869 And that is very much about the fight against 21:37.869 --> 21:41.202 ISIL and the main message there is that, 21:42.741 --> 21:46.208 of course, NATO has to be ready and able to deploy 21:46.208 --> 21:50.170 large number of combat forces into combat operations 21:50.170 --> 21:54.152 also in the future as we have done in the Balkans, 21:54.152 --> 21:58.319 in Bosnia Herzegovina, in Kosovo or in Afghanistan. 21:58.491 --> 22:02.136 But I think that more and more focus has to be put 22:02.136 --> 22:06.303 on how can we enable local forces to fight terrorism 22:07.190 --> 22:10.289 themselves, to stabilize their own country 22:10.289 --> 22:12.029 and to defend themselves. 22:12.029 --> 22:14.183 And that’s exactly actually what NATO 22:14.183 --> 22:16.425 now is doing in Afghanistan where we are, 22:16.425 --> 22:19.237 where we ended our combat mission but we do a 22:19.237 --> 22:22.631 large scale train, assist and advise operation 22:22.631 --> 22:26.438 to enable the Afghans to fight terrorism themselves. 22:26.438 --> 22:29.831 That is what we are now starting to do in Iraq, 22:29.831 --> 22:33.653 training Iraqi officers in Jordan and looking into 22:33.653 --> 22:36.599 whether we should do also that inside Iraq 22:36.599 --> 22:40.676 and that, of course, is one element in our support 22:40.676 --> 22:43.259 to the coalition fighting ISIL. 22:44.735 --> 22:48.902 And when we also work with countries like Jordan and 22:49.325 --> 22:53.243 Tunisia, stable countries in a region of turmoil 22:53.243 --> 22:54.326 and violence. 22:54.407 --> 22:57.180 I think that’s extremely important to help them now, 22:57.180 --> 23:01.347 to help them to maintain the strength and stability 23:04.283 --> 23:06.160 to be able to fight ISIL. 23:06.160 --> 23:08.976 So, for instance, we have started to work with 23:08.976 --> 23:12.413 Tunisia on special operation forces, on intelligence, 23:12.413 --> 23:15.141 that’s also part of our efforts to fight ISIL 23:15.141 --> 23:17.058 and to fight terrorism. 23:17.640 --> 23:21.807 And, and we are also looking into the question of AWACS. 23:21.932 --> 23:26.099 It has been some dialogue on what kind of needs that there, 23:28.944 --> 23:33.111 that the coalition, what kind of support the coalition needs 23:34.316 --> 23:36.983 but we have a good dialogue both with the U.S. 23:36.983 --> 23:39.230 and the U.S. led coalition looking into 23:39.230 --> 23:42.480 the possibility of NATO providing AWACS 23:42.497 --> 23:44.664 support for the coalition. 23:46.541 --> 23:48.458 - Spiegel, at the back. 23:48.919 --> 23:51.095 - Mr. Secretary General, one question concerning 23:51.095 --> 23:54.311 the troop enlargement in Eastern Europe. 23:54.311 --> 23:57.160 You just mentioned it that NATO will certainly go along 23:57.160 --> 23:58.383 the international treaties. 23:58.383 --> 24:01.126 One of them, or one of the important ones for NATO, 24:01.126 --> 24:04.209 certainly, is the Russia NATO Treaty. 24:04.488 --> 24:07.302 So Poland repeatedly, I think the last time 24:07.302 --> 24:10.664 over the weekend, mentioned that from the Polish 24:10.664 --> 24:14.078 point of view this treaty is no longer valid 24:14.078 --> 24:17.271 because it was, it has been done before 24:17.271 --> 24:20.188 the aggression on Crimea and so on. 24:20.295 --> 24:24.012 How does NATO deal, let’s say, with these different views 24:24.012 --> 24:28.012 if the NATO Russia Treaty is still valid or not? 24:31.032 --> 24:34.749 - We have decided to increase our military presence 24:34.749 --> 24:36.955 in the eastern part of the alliance, 24:36.955 --> 24:39.333 that decision has already been taken. 24:39.333 --> 24:41.669 What we are discussing now is the scale 24:41.669 --> 24:44.468 and the scope of that increased military presence 24:44.468 --> 24:46.791 in the eastern part of the alliance. 24:46.791 --> 24:49.884 We have received advice from our strategic commanders 24:49.884 --> 24:53.551 recommending, advising us to have battalions 24:54.238 --> 24:56.458 in different countries in the eastern part 24:56.458 --> 24:57.791 of the alliance. 24:58.398 --> 25:00.973 We have not made any final decisions, 25:00.973 --> 25:04.973 we are now looking into those concrete proposals 25:05.967 --> 25:08.214 and we will make the final decisions 25:08.214 --> 25:10.297 after the summit in July. 25:10.703 --> 25:12.935 But we will increase our military presence 25:12.935 --> 25:14.281 in the eastern part of the alliance 25:14.281 --> 25:15.936 because that’s already decided. 25:15.936 --> 25:19.769 We are discussing how that is going to happen. 25:19.794 --> 25:22.918 Second, everything we do is defensive, 25:22.918 --> 25:26.229 it is proportionate and it’s fully in line with our 25:26.229 --> 25:29.266 international obligations including the 25:29.266 --> 25:31.349 NATO-Russia Founding Act. 25:31.665 --> 25:34.532 And I think it is important to remember that when the 25:34.532 --> 25:37.839 NATO-Russia Founding Act refers to substantial 25:37.839 --> 25:41.256 combat forces what we are looking into is 25:43.007 --> 25:45.924 far below any reasonable definition 25:46.019 --> 25:48.409 of substantial combat forces. 25:48.409 --> 25:52.242 So even some increased presence of NATO forces 25:53.508 --> 25:55.810 in the eastern part of the Alliance 25:55.810 --> 25:59.342 will be fully in line with our international obligations, 25:59.342 --> 26:02.391 including the NATO-Russia Founding Act. 26:02.391 --> 26:06.474 And the Russia Founding, NATO-Russia Founding Act 26:07.040 --> 26:09.270 is something which we then will also not violate 26:09.270 --> 26:11.020 but act in line with. 26:14.882 --> 26:16.549 - Right in the back. 26:21.503 --> 26:24.078 - Thomas from the Danish newspaper Politiken. 26:24.078 --> 26:26.535 On the same subject of enhanced presence 26:26.535 --> 26:29.372 in Eastern Europe, could you tell us a little bit more 26:29.372 --> 26:31.805 about what are the options on the table now? 26:31.805 --> 26:33.449 I’ve seen you quoted earlier this month 26:33.449 --> 26:35.742 talking about four battalions. 26:35.742 --> 26:39.909 How many countries are we talking about and what numbers? 26:40.969 --> 26:44.251 - That’s a very good question, yeah, but the problem 26:44.251 --> 26:45.959 is I’m not able to answer it. 26:45.959 --> 26:48.833 Because, and actually I’m able to answer it 26:48.833 --> 26:52.378 but if I answer it that would be a bad answer 26:52.378 --> 26:55.745 meaning that it’s too early for me to give the details. 26:55.745 --> 26:57.975 Because we are now in the process of deciding 26:57.975 --> 27:00.228 the details and I think that before we have 27:00.228 --> 27:01.987 decided the details it will be wrong 27:01.987 --> 27:06.154 if I start in a way to go too much into the specifics 27:06.167 --> 27:09.095 because that can only create misunderstandings 27:09.095 --> 27:13.262 and also make the process inside NATO more difficult. 27:14.391 --> 27:17.367 So of course there are concrete proposals on the table, 27:17.367 --> 27:21.534 it’s about the size of the forces in which countries 27:22.779 --> 27:23.612 and so on. 27:24.912 --> 27:28.995 And they are on the table, they are discussed now 27:30.805 --> 27:33.749 but since I would very much like to be able 27:33.749 --> 27:37.106 to provide you with a very precise answer later on, 27:37.106 --> 27:39.321 either after the Defense Ministerial Meeting 27:39.321 --> 27:41.170 in June where I guess that we will be able to be more 27:41.170 --> 27:43.990 concrete or at least after the summit in July 27:43.990 --> 27:46.030 where we make the final decisions. 27:46.030 --> 27:49.530 I have to refrain from being too specific. 27:50.107 --> 27:54.274 But what I can confirm is that what we are discussing 27:54.318 --> 27:58.068 is the proposal from the strategic commanders 27:58.506 --> 28:02.256 to have a battalion sized multinational force 28:03.103 --> 28:05.923 in some of the eastern allied countries 28:05.923 --> 28:09.006 and I can tell you that some of them, 28:09.009 --> 28:11.657 some of them are the Baltic countries 28:11.657 --> 28:15.157 and that we are looking into this proposal 28:16.144 --> 28:18.688 and the important thing is that, 28:18.688 --> 28:22.188 is that it has to be a multinational force 28:23.052 --> 28:27.219 because a multinational presence sends a very clear signal 28:27.378 --> 28:31.045 that an attack on one ally will be an attack 28:31.511 --> 28:33.344 on the whole Alliance. 28:33.390 --> 28:36.326 So the importance of this forward presence 28:36.326 --> 28:39.441 is not that it’s going to be so very big 28:39.441 --> 28:43.608 but the importance that it is a multinational presence 28:43.781 --> 28:47.270 sending a clear signal that we stand together, 28:47.270 --> 28:50.687 united and the forward presence has to be 28:51.631 --> 28:53.856 combined or is going to be combined 28:53.856 --> 28:57.689 with enhanced ability to reinforce, if needed. 28:58.875 --> 29:01.918 So you have to also understand that the forward presence 29:01.918 --> 29:04.549 is linked to the higher readiness, 29:04.549 --> 29:07.550 the high responsiveness of our forces 29:07.550 --> 29:10.797 and we have already decided to triple the size of the 29:10.797 --> 29:13.305 NATO Response Force and part of that 29:13.305 --> 29:16.955 is the new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force 29:16.955 --> 29:20.705 or the Spearhead Force, a brigade sized force 29:20.826 --> 29:23.379 which can deploy on a very short notice. 29:23.379 --> 29:27.546 So forward presence, increased ability to reinforce 29:28.192 --> 29:30.980 is delivering the deterrence and the defense 29:30.980 --> 29:32.313 which is needed. 29:32.604 --> 29:36.771 Add to that that we are also investing in infrastructure, 29:39.666 --> 29:43.249 in pre-positioning of equipment, ammunition 29:43.811 --> 29:47.978 and that the U.S. is in the process of quadrupling 29:49.908 --> 29:53.241 its funding for U.S. presence in Europe, 29:56.344 --> 29:57.934 quadrupling the funding for what they call 29:57.934 --> 30:00.934 the European Reassurance Initiative, 30:01.012 --> 30:04.512 deploying brigades and equipment in Europe 30:05.841 --> 30:09.098 which will then also increase both our presence 30:09.098 --> 30:11.152 and our ability to reinforce. 30:11.152 --> 30:13.985 So this is a big thing altogether, 30:14.380 --> 30:16.059 forward presence in the eastern part 30:16.059 --> 30:20.226 is just one element of a more comprehensive approach. 30:21.373 --> 30:23.373 - Rega for Europe, yeah. 30:24.539 --> 30:25.539 - Thank you. 30:25.664 --> 30:29.065 Mr. Secretary General to what extent is Afghanistan 30:29.065 --> 30:31.815 important for NATO at this stage? 30:31.907 --> 30:34.824 And what specific financial pledges 30:36.403 --> 30:38.934 are you going to make during the ministerial meeting? 30:38.934 --> 30:39.767 Thank you. 30:41.619 --> 30:44.906 - Afghanistan is very important for NATO. 30:44.906 --> 30:47.862 It’s important for NATO for at least two reasons. 30:47.862 --> 30:50.019 It is important for NATO because we know that 30:50.019 --> 30:53.994 a stable Afghanistan is also good for our security 30:53.994 --> 30:55.928 and we have to remember that the reason 30:55.928 --> 30:58.489 why NATO and NATO allies and partners went 30:58.489 --> 31:01.756 into Afghanistan more than 13 years ago, 31:01.756 --> 31:05.423 more than 10 years ago was a direct response 31:06.045 --> 31:10.212 to a terrorist attack on the United States, a NATO ally. 31:11.515 --> 31:15.335 So a stable Afghanistan is important for Afghanistan 31:15.335 --> 31:18.776 but it’s also important for us and our security. 31:18.776 --> 31:21.277 Second of course Afghanistan is important for NATO 31:21.277 --> 31:23.831 because this is our biggest military operation ever 31:23.831 --> 31:25.780 and we have been there for many, many years 31:25.780 --> 31:27.843 and we have had many, many troops there 31:27.843 --> 31:29.835 and we have paid a high price. 31:29.835 --> 31:32.857 Casualties, people have paid the highest price 31:32.857 --> 31:37.024 and as in all ways this has been a big investment, 31:37.925 --> 31:41.453 a huge investment of the alliance in the stability 31:41.453 --> 31:44.040 and the security of Afghanistan. 31:44.040 --> 31:46.750 We are now going to address the future of 31:46.750 --> 31:49.190 the Resolute Support, our training, assist 31:49.190 --> 31:50.773 and advise mission. 31:51.965 --> 31:55.882 And as I said we, I think the idea of not doing 31:56.076 --> 31:59.743 big combat operations but train local forces 32:00.268 --> 32:04.435 to defend themselves and to keep their country safe 32:04.574 --> 32:06.783 is an idea which we have actually implemented 32:06.783 --> 32:08.558 in Afghanistan because we have ended 32:08.558 --> 32:09.653 the combat operation. 32:09.653 --> 32:11.658 We do train, assist, and advise, 32:11.658 --> 32:14.912 enabling an Afghan National Security Forces 32:14.912 --> 32:18.015 of 350,000 soldiers and police to take 32:18.015 --> 32:21.195 full responsibility for the security of their own country. 32:21.195 --> 32:24.123 I think that’s a very good and sustainable approach. 32:24.123 --> 32:28.206 We will decide on, later on on the, I should say, 32:28.642 --> 32:32.809 the future of the Resolute Support Mission beyond 2016 32:34.148 --> 32:37.648 and we will also make decisions on funding 32:39.236 --> 32:43.007 for the Afghan National Army and Security Forces 32:43.007 --> 32:45.862 and I think that the importance of that 32:45.862 --> 32:48.261 NATO and NATO allies provide funding 32:48.261 --> 32:52.212 is extremely important and we will continue to do so. 32:52.212 --> 32:53.045 - NPR. 32:53.277 --> 32:54.110 - Hi. 32:54.176 --> 32:55.009 Thank you. 32:55.009 --> 32:55.896 Teri Schultz with NPR and CBS. 32:55.896 --> 32:58.729 In the last week you have upgraded 32:59.170 --> 33:02.036 the missile defense capabilities in Romania and Poland 33:02.036 --> 33:06.036 which naturally provoked a response from Moscow, 33:06.657 --> 33:09.391 including the renewed threat to possibly 33:09.391 --> 33:12.724 station nuclear warheads in Kaliningrad. 33:13.628 --> 33:16.294 We’ve also seen increased, I don’t know, 33:16.294 --> 33:18.941 continued buzzing of Estonian airspace, for example. 33:18.941 --> 33:22.024 How would you gauge Russia’s response 33:22.909 --> 33:26.159 and if you have any new message to them 33:26.538 --> 33:27.931 other than the one that we’ve heard for years 33:27.931 --> 33:30.378 about ballistic missile defense in this case, 33:30.378 --> 33:31.481 what would that be? 33:31.481 --> 33:32.314 Thanks. 33:35.667 --> 33:39.500 - What we have seen is that Russia is behaving 33:41.602 --> 33:45.769 in a more assertive way in many different theaters 33:48.273 --> 33:49.106 and areas. 33:50.391 --> 33:54.132 And we have seen, for instance, the irresponsible 33:54.132 --> 33:57.215 and unsafe behavior of Russian planes 34:00.280 --> 34:03.780 coming very close to NATO ships and planes 34:04.014 --> 34:07.014 in, for instance, the Baltic region. 34:08.392 --> 34:11.892 For us this just underlines the importance 34:12.777 --> 34:15.610 of the dual track approach of NATO 34:16.428 --> 34:19.095 in our relationship with Russia. 34:19.106 --> 34:22.106 We need strength, we need deterrents 34:22.134 --> 34:24.634 and we are delivering on that. 34:25.659 --> 34:29.826 We are implementing the biggest military adaptation 34:30.511 --> 34:32.987 of NATO since the end of the Cold War. 34:32.987 --> 34:35.670 At the same time it underlines the importance 34:35.670 --> 34:39.837 of transparency, predictability, dialogue with Russia. 34:41.541 --> 34:44.767 And I think that both the downing of the Russian plane 34:44.767 --> 34:47.383 over Turkey and the incidents we have seen 34:47.383 --> 34:50.544 in the Baltic Sea and the Baltic region 34:50.544 --> 34:53.627 with the buzzing of the American ship 34:54.430 --> 34:58.597 highlights the importance of that we enhance mechanisms, 35:00.466 --> 35:04.383 of risk reduction, transparency, predictability 35:07.247 --> 35:10.200 so that we try to avoid that kind of incidents 35:10.200 --> 35:12.261 and accidents for happening again. 35:12.261 --> 35:15.014 And if they happen make sure that they don’t spiral 35:15.014 --> 35:18.939 out of control and create really dangerous situations. 35:18.939 --> 35:20.944 So it may be that I’ve said something similar 35:20.944 --> 35:24.732 to this before but it’s very much the same message 35:24.732 --> 35:27.566 because we are confronted with the same kind 35:27.566 --> 35:29.233 of Russian behavior. 35:29.576 --> 35:32.076 - Georgian Public Broadcaster. 35:32.796 --> 35:34.024 - Georgian Public Broadcaster. 35:34.024 --> 35:38.191 Mr. Secretary General, as we are waiting and preparing 35:38.223 --> 35:40.540 for Warsaw Summit, my first question is about 35:40.540 --> 35:42.040 meeting in Warsaw. 35:42.903 --> 35:46.362 How NATO is going to reconcile the commitment 35:46.362 --> 35:48.628 to the open door policy with the political 35:48.628 --> 35:52.295 and military policy in which Russia remains? 35:52.361 --> 35:56.528 We read statements made by Russian Foreign Affairs Minister, 35:57.107 --> 35:59.882 he warns Sweden against NATO membership, 35:59.882 --> 36:03.037 he warns Georgia and at the same time some 36:03.037 --> 36:06.046 Georgian politicians, even Members of Parliament, 36:06.046 --> 36:08.162 say that open door policy of NATO 36:08.162 --> 36:10.245 is increasingly selective 36:11.414 --> 36:14.659 and it is not because Georgia is failing 36:14.659 --> 36:16.409 to meet expectations. 36:22.268 --> 36:26.435 - The signing of the Accession Treaty for Montenegro 36:28.437 --> 36:32.187 tomorrow shows that NATO’s door remains open. 36:36.166 --> 36:39.249 And we continue to work with Georgia, 36:40.512 --> 36:42.595 another aspirant country. 36:43.303 --> 36:47.136 And I strongly believe that the summit of NATO 36:51.248 --> 36:55.415 in July will recognize the progress Georgia is making 36:56.778 --> 37:00.111 and will reiterate our strong commitment 37:01.023 --> 37:05.190 to both provide strong political support to Georgia 37:06.110 --> 37:10.257 but also to provide practical support for Georgia. 37:10.257 --> 37:13.757 Working with Georgia to implement reforms, 37:14.124 --> 37:16.874 build institutions and to enhance 37:17.550 --> 37:21.550 Georgia’s ability to modernize its armed forces. 37:25.024 --> 37:28.607 I participated in the inauguration ceremony 37:30.193 --> 37:32.832 of the joint training center in Georgia 37:32.832 --> 37:35.510 some months ago and I have addressed several times 37:35.510 --> 37:38.398 with NATO allies the importance of that 37:38.398 --> 37:41.402 NATO allies provide practical support assistance 37:41.402 --> 37:42.319 to Georgia. 37:42.828 --> 37:45.476 So we will continue to work with Georgia, 37:45.476 --> 37:49.059 we will continue to defend Georgia’s rights 37:49.509 --> 37:53.342 to make its own decisions and we will continue 37:53.556 --> 37:57.723 to work on reforms and help Georgia moving towards 37:57.834 --> 37:59.167 NATO membership. 38:01.242 --> 38:03.546 - Norwegian Media, lady on the second row. 38:03.546 --> 38:04.379 - Hello. 38:06.862 --> 38:09.894 Is it correct summing up that now NATO is intensifying 38:09.894 --> 38:13.644 the effort to prevent and to fight terrorism, 38:14.490 --> 38:17.833 the threat from the south, compared to, for instance, 38:17.833 --> 38:20.402 some time ago in that the threat from the south 38:20.402 --> 38:22.908 will take a larger part of the NATO’s 38:22.908 --> 38:25.991 whole engagement in the year to come? 38:28.519 --> 38:31.026 - Our challenge is that we have to do two things 38:31.026 --> 38:32.419 at the same time. 38:32.419 --> 38:34.280 We have to be present in Europe, 38:34.280 --> 38:37.785 provide collective defense deterrents in Europe. 38:37.785 --> 38:40.368 At the same time we have to address the turmoil, 38:40.368 --> 38:43.701 the instability and the threats stemming 38:43.849 --> 38:47.813 from the south from ISIL, from terrorist organizations. 38:47.813 --> 38:49.716 And this is actually the first time 38:49.716 --> 38:52.643 in NATO’s history that we have to be so focused 38:52.643 --> 38:55.726 on both those tasks at the same time. 38:56.605 --> 38:59.628 And that’s also the reason why we are now implementing 38:59.628 --> 39:03.295 the biggest adaptation of NATO since the end 39:03.537 --> 39:06.319 of the Cold War and the reason why we are both 39:06.319 --> 39:09.986 reinforcing our collective defense in Europe 39:10.208 --> 39:13.003 with more presence in the eastern part of Europe, 39:13.003 --> 39:15.575 with more readiness and preparedness of our forces 39:15.575 --> 39:17.908 and with more U.S. presence. 39:18.156 --> 39:21.900 As I said quadrupling of the U.S. funding for troops, 39:21.900 --> 39:25.233 for equipment, for training, for exercises in Europe 39:25.233 --> 39:27.344 of U.S. forces is a very strong signal 39:27.344 --> 39:28.927 and I welcome that. 39:29.027 --> 39:32.395 So we are doing a lot on collective defense in Europe. 39:32.395 --> 39:35.041 At the same time we are stepping up our efforts 39:35.041 --> 39:37.374 to fight ISIL and terrorism. 39:38.368 --> 39:42.535 Partly by continuing our operations in Afghanistan 39:45.428 --> 39:48.845 because even if Afghanistan is not always directly 39:48.845 --> 39:50.603 linked to ISIL we have to remember that 39:50.603 --> 39:52.148 the reason why we are in Afghanistan 39:52.148 --> 39:55.308 is to fight terrorism, different kind of terrorist 39:55.308 --> 39:59.475 organizations including also some affiliated with ISIL. 40:01.442 --> 40:04.032 And then as I’ve mentioned several times 40:04.032 --> 40:07.347 we are stepping up our efforts to help Iraq, 40:07.347 --> 40:09.573 we are looking into what more we can do 40:09.573 --> 40:10.812 for direct support to the coalition 40:10.812 --> 40:13.145 also with AWACS capabilities 40:13.943 --> 40:16.382 and we are working with several countries 40:16.382 --> 40:19.322 in the region like Tunisia and Jordan 40:19.322 --> 40:21.822 to help them defend themselves 40:22.221 --> 40:25.415 and to remain stable countries in the region 40:25.415 --> 40:27.190 of a lot of instability. 40:27.190 --> 40:30.013 So yes we are stepping up our efforts to fight terrorism 40:30.013 --> 40:32.834 but that’s not something we are doing 40:32.834 --> 40:37.001 on the expense of our efforts addressing the challenges 40:38.569 --> 40:39.402 in Europe. 40:39.402 --> 40:40.518 We have to do both. 40:40.518 --> 40:41.714 Our collective defense in Europe, 40:41.714 --> 40:44.170 we have to do both at the same time. 40:44.170 --> 40:46.893 And there’s a 360 degree approach. 40:46.893 --> 40:50.560 And collective defense is also about threats 40:51.055 --> 40:52.717 stemming from the south. 40:52.717 --> 40:54.164 For instance, Turkey. 40:54.164 --> 40:57.831 Turkey is attacked regularly from the south, 40:59.296 --> 41:02.681 from Syria, so I think that we have to understand 41:02.681 --> 41:04.376 that collective defense is also about the south 41:04.376 --> 41:07.212 and stabilizing our neighbour is also about 41:07.212 --> 41:09.998 the east when we work with, for instance, countries like 41:09.998 --> 41:12.998 Moldova, Ukraine and other countries 41:13.431 --> 41:14.549 in our eastern neighbourhood. 41:14.549 --> 41:17.549 So this is a huge challenge but NATO 41:17.557 --> 41:20.474 has been able to respond and adapt. 41:20.851 --> 41:22.353 - We’re going to end with two questions 41:22.353 --> 41:23.928 in the first row here. 41:23.928 --> 41:27.482 So we’ll start with Ukrainian Media and then with KUNA. 41:27.482 --> 41:29.102 - Your Atlantic operation. 41:29.102 --> 41:33.269 Secretary General, when do you think you will meet 41:33.578 --> 41:35.078 with Russia again? 41:35.321 --> 41:39.488 Before summit of NATO in Warsaw or any other idea? 41:41.555 --> 41:44.828 And the second question, if you will discuss Russian side 41:44.828 --> 41:48.995 about Ukraine which message you are going to provide them? 41:50.183 --> 41:53.516 And the third one, are you satisfied how 41:54.744 --> 41:57.744 the Minsk Agreement is implementing? 42:02.480 --> 42:05.781 - First when we’ll meet in the NATO Russia Council again, 42:05.781 --> 42:08.644 it’s too early to tell but I would like to underline 42:08.644 --> 42:11.945 that I believe that we should meet in the 42:11.945 --> 42:14.521 NATO Russia Council because the NATO Russia Council 42:14.521 --> 42:18.604 is a platform for political dialogue with Russia. 42:19.483 --> 42:21.903 And after the illegal annexation of Crimea 42:21.903 --> 42:26.070 back in 2014 NATO decided to suspend practical cooperation 42:27.685 --> 42:31.167 but we decided not to suspend political dialogue. 42:31.167 --> 42:33.056 And since the NATO Russia Council is part 42:33.056 --> 42:34.796 of this political dialogue I believe that we 42:34.796 --> 42:36.026 should meet again. 42:36.026 --> 42:39.109 Exactly when that’s too early to tell 42:39.544 --> 42:43.404 but it’s going to be discussed with the Foreign Ministers 42:43.404 --> 42:46.404 tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. 42:48.620 --> 42:52.703 Second, and let me add that dialogue is important 42:52.844 --> 42:56.950 but dialogue, transparency, channels for political 42:56.950 --> 42:59.768 communication is even more important 42:59.768 --> 43:02.447 when tensions are high and when times are difficult 43:02.447 --> 43:03.780 as they are now. 43:03.813 --> 43:05.935 So I think that the need for political engagement 43:05.935 --> 43:08.475 with Russia is even bigger now than it was 43:08.475 --> 43:11.605 a couple of years ago because now we really face 43:11.605 --> 43:14.298 some challenges and some difficulties in our 43:14.298 --> 43:16.381 relationship with Russia. 43:18.429 --> 43:21.754 Second, the message, well it depends, of course, 43:21.754 --> 43:24.092 on the different issues we discuss 43:24.092 --> 43:27.509 but on Ukraine the message is very clear. 43:27.849 --> 43:30.738 That Russia should respect international law, 43:30.738 --> 43:33.318 not violate their territorial integrity 43:33.318 --> 43:36.466 and the sovereignty of an independent country, Ukraine, 43:36.466 --> 43:40.633 and, of course, that also Russia should use all its 43:43.171 --> 43:47.205 influence and make sure that the Minsk Agreements 43:47.205 --> 43:50.205 are fully respected and implemented. 43:50.512 --> 43:52.398 You asked me about the Minsk Agreements, 43:52.398 --> 43:56.565 then I have to tell you that, of course, I’m concerned. 43:56.641 --> 43:59.224 Because oft repeated last year, 44:00.263 --> 44:04.096 the beginning of this year where we saw a lull 44:04.317 --> 44:06.272 in the fighting or at least that the ceasefire 44:06.272 --> 44:09.855 was mostly respected we have seen gradually 44:10.213 --> 44:13.546 an increase in the numbers of violations 44:13.610 --> 44:15.853 of the ceasefire and that is undermining 44:15.853 --> 44:20.020 the whole Minsk Agreement because the Minsk Agreement 44:21.861 --> 44:24.018 is based on the ceasefire. 44:24.018 --> 44:27.420 So my message is that the ceasefire has to be respected, 44:27.420 --> 44:30.253 heavy weapons have to be withdrawn 44:31.540 --> 44:35.119 and the international observers have to have full access 44:35.119 --> 44:36.693 to the area so they can make sure 44:36.693 --> 44:40.562 that the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented. 44:40.562 --> 44:42.728 - The very final question to KUNA. 44:42.728 --> 44:44.860 - Kuwait News Agency KUNA. 44:44.860 --> 44:47.906 Sir, will there be any discussions in the meeting 44:47.906 --> 44:50.980 on cooperation with the Gulf Countries 44:50.980 --> 44:53.147 in the fight against ISIS? 44:53.237 --> 44:56.380 And secondly will there be a discussion on Syria 44:56.380 --> 45:00.213 and how to bring a rapid democratic transition 45:01.697 --> 45:02.530 in the country? 45:02.530 --> 45:03.363 Thank you. 45:06.655 --> 45:10.822 - It will be a discussion as part of our discussion 45:11.436 --> 45:14.896 on projecting stability, how we can work even closer 45:14.896 --> 45:17.886 with our partners in the Gulf region. 45:17.886 --> 45:21.969 And I recently visited Kuwait and other countries 45:22.591 --> 45:26.188 in the Gulf region and it was a very strong message 45:26.188 --> 45:29.628 in all my talks with different interlocutors 45:29.628 --> 45:32.414 that we need to step up the cooperation between NATO 45:32.414 --> 45:35.747 and the Gulf countries including the GCC 45:36.874 --> 45:39.142 or the Gulf Cooperation Council. 45:39.142 --> 45:43.225 I’m really, really looking forward to the opening 45:43.313 --> 45:47.313 of a new NATO regional training center in Kuwait 45:50.322 --> 45:54.072 and I visited the site for this new facility. 45:55.046 --> 45:58.433 It’s a big, big building where we’re going to have 45:58.433 --> 46:02.600 different kinds of training, capacity building activities 46:03.025 --> 46:06.895 for the region located in Kuwait, and I think that’s 46:06.895 --> 46:09.479 just one example of how we are increasing 46:09.479 --> 46:12.812 our cooperation with the Gulf countries. 46:13.930 --> 46:16.440 On Syria I think that I have answered questions 46:16.440 --> 46:18.253 related to how we will support the efforts 46:18.253 --> 46:20.310 of the coalition fighting ISIL and that’s, of course, 46:20.310 --> 46:21.701 related to Syria. 46:21.701 --> 46:23.850 It’s on the border to a NATO ally, Turkey, 46:23.850 --> 46:27.439 and we support Turkey, we provide assurance measures 46:27.439 --> 46:31.439 for Turkey and, and let me add, that in addition 46:32.248 --> 46:35.846 to the deployment of NATO batteries or patriot batteries, 46:35.846 --> 46:40.013 port visits of NATO ships, and the AWACS flying over Turkey 46:43.808 --> 46:47.095 I think it’s important also to add that several NATO allies, 46:47.095 --> 46:50.272 so many NATO allies also provide assurance measures 46:50.272 --> 46:52.716 for Turkey on the bilateral basis. 46:52.716 --> 46:56.252 So there is a lot of NATO presence in Turkey 46:56.252 --> 46:59.732 and Turkey also provides infrastructure for both 46:59.732 --> 47:02.029 the assurance measures but also for the fight against 47:02.029 --> 47:05.612 ISIL with, for instance, Incirlik Air Base. 47:06.146 --> 47:09.901 So this is a very joint effort of NATO, NATO allies 47:09.901 --> 47:12.612 and Turkey in the fight against ISIL and also 47:12.612 --> 47:16.376 providing the necessary assurance measures for Turkey 47:16.376 --> 47:18.126 all at the same time. 47:18.916 --> 47:21.500 But the important message on Syria is that 47:21.500 --> 47:25.417 there is no way to peace and stability in Syria 47:26.862 --> 47:28.747 without a negotiated agreement. 47:28.747 --> 47:32.087 So therefore I fully support, even if it’s hard, 47:32.087 --> 47:35.915 even if it’s difficult, even if there has been many setbacks 47:35.915 --> 47:40.082 and disappointments to, no other alternative than to support 47:40.722 --> 47:44.889 the efforts to find a peaceful negotiated solution 47:46.410 --> 47:50.410 and I support the efforts by all those that meet 47:51.133 --> 47:55.300 in Vienna and Geneva to try to find a political solution 47:55.427 --> 47:57.510 to the conflict in Syria. 47:58.034 --> 47:58.867 - Thank you very much. 47:58.867 --> 48:00.586 That’s all we have time for today, but of course 48:00.586 --> 48:02.214 there will be ample opportunities for those 48:02.214 --> 48:04.038 who weren’t able to ask their questions today, 48:04.038 --> 48:06.145 tomorrow and the day after. 48:06.145 --> 48:07.145 Many thanks. 48:07.539 --> 48:08.539 - Thank you.