WEBVTT

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- Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,

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let me start by welcoming you all,

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the NATO Chiefs of Defense, and the strategy commanders,

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to the second Military Committee meeting

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in the Chiefs of Defense format this year.

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And I extend a warm welcome to my EU counterpart,

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and our friend, Michail Kostarakos.

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I would especially like

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to welcome the new members of our group,

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Lieutenant General Andrey Botsev from Bulgaria,

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Major General Leonids Kalnins from Latvia,

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Lieutenant General Leszek Surawski from Poland,

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General Fernando Alejandre from Spain,

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and Lieutenant General Ljubisa Jokic from Montenegro.

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Andrey, Leonids, Lezek, Fernando, and Ljubisa,

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congratulations on your appointments,

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and we welcome you to our group.

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We value your experience and counsel

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as we convey our military advice

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for the meeting of Heads of State and government next week,

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and the Defense Ministers next month.

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Today, we will consider the most pressing concerns

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facing our alliance, and we'll make recommendations

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about how to translate political objectives

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into military reality, to deliver tangible,

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coherent, and sustainable affects

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that influence the strategic environment

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to make it more safe and more secure.

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This morning we will focus on the challenges

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to the South of the alliance, and we will discuss two issues

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that are high on the political agenda.

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Now these are projecting stability

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through strengthened security beyond our borders,

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and how to enhance NATO's role in fighting terrorism.

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Our discussions will be informed by a strategic assessment

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of the Middle East and North Africa,

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as we consider the next steps in

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NATO's training and capacity-building in Iraq,

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and how we could further assist our Mediterranean partners,

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working alongside other international organizations,

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and especially the European Union.

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In the afternoon,

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we will first welcome our 13 partner nations,

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who work with us to support the

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Afghan National Defense and Security Forces.

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SACEUR and the Commander of the Resolute Support Mission

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will update us on the situation in Afghanistan,

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and NATO's new Senior Civilian Representative,

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Ambassador Zimmermann, will provide the political context.

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As part of a wider effort by the international community,

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the continued development of the

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Afghan National Defense and Security Forces

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is a vital contribution to the stability

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of the country, to ensure its own security,

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and permit economic and social development.

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Our aim today is to reaffirm our support

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in the ongoing development of the

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Afghan National Defense and Security Forces,

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and preferably, aligned with a four-year development plan.

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The remainder of the afternoon will be dedicated

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to the military implications

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of strengthening the transatlantic bond,

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and of fair burden sharing.

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We are aware of the importance

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of the Defense Investment Pledge,

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agreed by all nations in 2014,

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and reaffirmed in Warsaw last year.

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From the military side, we should focus our efforts

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on meeting our capability targets,

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and the private areas for enhancing

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NATO's military capabilities across all domains.

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Having focused on the South earlier in the day,

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we will start the session

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by completing the strategic analysis

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with an update on Russia, and its influence abroad.

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We will then consider the entirety of NATO's tasks,

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with the aim of developing further recommendations

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on the capabilities and resources needed

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for all of NATO's tasks.

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That is the end of my opening comments to the media.

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Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us this morning.

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The Strategy Commanders and I will hold a press conference

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at 1800 on the outcomes of our discussions today.

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Thank you.