WEBVTT 00:04.340 --> 00:07.740 - Thank you, yes, please, TV New Zealand. 00:07.740 --> 00:10.480 - Hello, my name's Joy, I'm from Television New Zealand. 00:10.480 --> 00:12.280 Just a question, do NATO and New Zealand have 00:12.280 --> 00:16.363 plans together in Afghanistan or Iraq going forward? 00:17.870 --> 00:22.240 - New Zealand is helping and supporting 00:22.240 --> 00:24.797 the NATO mission in Afghanistan 00:24.797 --> 00:27.100 and we have many partners working together 00:27.100 --> 00:30.940 with NATO in Afghanistan and we welcome of course 00:30.940 --> 00:33.900 that very much because as I said the reason 00:33.900 --> 00:36.870 why we are in Afghanistan is to make sure 00:36.870 --> 00:40.640 that Afghanistan not once again becomes 00:40.640 --> 00:42.823 a safe haven for international terrorism. 00:43.810 --> 00:46.800 We saw the consequences back in 2001, 00:46.800 --> 00:50.480 when the 911 attacks on the United States 00:50.480 --> 00:53.960 were organized, planned, from Afghanistan 00:53.960 --> 00:56.100 and that's the reason why we went in. 00:56.100 --> 00:59.410 Then of course I understand that people may ask 00:59.410 --> 01:01.230 we have been there for so long so why should 01:01.230 --> 01:02.483 we continue to be there? 01:03.490 --> 01:04.740 Then I think it's important to remember 01:04.740 --> 01:07.920 that not many years ago we were part of a 01:07.920 --> 01:11.010 big combat operation, more than 100 000 troops 01:11.010 --> 01:14.490 in combat operations in Afghanistan. 01:14.490 --> 01:15.840 Now, the NATO mission, 01:15.840 --> 01:18.170 which is supported, there is a support mission 01:18.170 --> 01:22.170 which New Zealand is contributing to 01:22.170 --> 01:24.490 is a trained assistant vice mission 01:24.490 --> 01:28.050 where we help the Afghans stabilize their 01:28.050 --> 01:30.620 own country and the Afghans are now taking over 01:30.620 --> 01:33.590 a responsibility for security in their own country. 01:33.590 --> 01:37.540 And we highly value the contribution from 01:37.540 --> 01:40.293 New Zealand because it's high quality, 01:42.334 --> 01:44.830 there are the personnel from New Zealand are 01:44.830 --> 01:48.560 very committed, they are playing a key role 01:48.560 --> 01:50.910 in helping to educate 01:50.910 --> 01:54.080 and to build a national defense academy. 01:54.080 --> 01:56.930 And that's the best way to help Afghanistan 01:56.930 --> 02:00.240 and that is to help them develop their own forces 02:00.240 --> 02:04.819 so they can create security in their own country themselves. 02:04.819 --> 02:07.572 - [Hostess] Deutsche Villa National Public Radio 02:07.572 --> 02:08.783 - Hi, Terry Scholtz, over here. 02:09.670 --> 02:12.220 To the Prime Minister, are you concerned by 02:12.220 --> 02:15.200 reports coming out of the US about the draw down 02:15.200 --> 02:17.500 of troops, the potential expected draw down of troops 02:17.500 --> 02:19.450 in Afghanistan with you of course continuing 02:19.450 --> 02:21.389 your contribution there. 02:21.389 --> 02:22.610 And to the Secretary General, 02:22.610 --> 02:24.870 a momentous day for Macedonia, all of us 02:24.870 --> 02:26.750 who've covered this issue for so many years 02:26.750 --> 02:28.920 have waited for this. 02:28.920 --> 02:29.920 What is your reaction? 02:29.920 --> 02:32.150 Is this, is the Greek parliament's approval 02:32.150 --> 02:34.870 the last hurdle that Macedonia had to becoming 02:34.870 --> 02:36.430 a NATO member? What's the next step? 02:36.430 --> 02:38.170 How quickly will this happen? Thanks. 02:38.170 --> 02:39.506 - Thank you. 02:39.506 --> 02:40.590 I'll cover up very briefly the question that you asked. 02:40.590 --> 02:44.060 Obviously the decision of other governments 02:44.060 --> 02:46.710 is the way that they choose to deploy their forces, 02:46.710 --> 02:48.730 the length of stay for those forces, 02:48.730 --> 02:53.450 are ultimately decisions for those individual countries 02:53.450 --> 02:55.020 and their leaders. 02:55.020 --> 02:59.230 What New Zealand focuses on is of course 02:59.230 --> 03:01.910 the nature of our contribution, 03:01.910 --> 03:03.913 the quality of our contribution, 03:04.780 --> 03:09.010 and Afghanistan, we know with the individuals 03:09.010 --> 03:12.683 that we have there now, which roughly total 11, 03:12.683 --> 03:16.900 that we do have high quality individuals providing 03:18.260 --> 03:21.510 an incredibly important role, 03:21.510 --> 03:26.000 and as part of a wider team. 03:26.000 --> 03:29.130 And so that for us, its about our individual contribution. 03:29.130 --> 03:33.260 We don't judge what we're doing relative to others. 03:33.260 --> 03:35.043 Those are decisions for them. 03:37.990 --> 03:40.950 - Let me just first add that one small remark 03:40.950 --> 03:44.150 to the previous question on Afghanistan and Iraq 03:44.150 --> 03:47.220 because I forgot to say anything about Iraq. 03:47.220 --> 03:50.300 We have launched a training mission in Iraq. 03:50.300 --> 03:53.870 We will of course welcome also contributions from 03:53.870 --> 03:55.980 New Zealand to that training mission. 03:55.980 --> 03:58.340 New Zealand is already present in Iraq 03:58.340 --> 04:00.740 but we will of course in the context of 04:00.740 --> 04:03.540 the global mission to defeat ISIS 04:03.540 --> 04:05.860 but we will of course welcome contributions 04:05.860 --> 04:08.110 to that NATO training mission. 04:08.110 --> 04:12.723 Then, on the decision in the Greek parliament today. 04:14.320 --> 04:16.770 This is an historic decision and it's a decision 04:16.770 --> 04:20.760 I really welcome because the ratification of the 04:20.760 --> 04:25.760 name agreement between Athens and Skopje 04:26.050 --> 04:29.550 is historic because it removes an obstacle for 04:30.815 --> 04:33.780 a Euratlantic integration of the former Yugoslavic 04:33.780 --> 04:37.493 Republic of Macedonia into NATO. 04:38.875 --> 04:41.250 And it's something we have been supporting for 04:41.250 --> 04:42.500 many many years. 04:42.500 --> 04:45.710 And now we see the name agreement has been supported 04:45.710 --> 04:49.610 by a majority in the parliament in Skopje 04:49.610 --> 04:52.650 and now also today in Athens. 04:52.650 --> 04:56.000 I would like to commend the leadership and the courage 04:56.000 --> 05:01.000 of Prime Minister Tsipras but also of Prime Minister Zaev. 05:02.520 --> 05:06.900 They have made this possible and this has become 05:06.900 --> 05:11.160 possible because they have shown leadership 05:11.160 --> 05:13.473 which is really impressive. 05:14.500 --> 05:19.400 We will now move on with the process of 05:22.215 --> 05:27.215 getting (mumbles) as the 30th member of NATO 05:28.076 --> 05:33.076 under it's new name The Republic of Northern Macedonia. 05:34.750 --> 05:37.610 We will be able to sign the succession protocol 05:38.670 --> 05:41.790 shortly and then this protocol has to be ratified 05:41.790 --> 05:45.240 in a different parliament and after that 05:45.240 --> 05:47.923 the country will be a full member of the Alliance. 05:49.448 --> 05:51.870 - The New (mumbles) 05:51.870 --> 05:52.703 - Thank you. 05:52.703 --> 05:55.450 Secretary, are you concerned about China, 05:55.450 --> 05:57.550 and China's growing influence 05:57.550 --> 05:59.140 in the Pacific and the south Pacific 05:59.140 --> 06:01.060 and is that one of the reasons why you see 06:01.060 --> 06:03.970 New Zealand as an important ally? 06:03.970 --> 06:06.740 - So one of the issues we discussed today 06:06.740 --> 06:11.370 was the security situation in Asia Pacific region 06:11.370 --> 06:16.370 and of course we follow that closely for many reasons 06:17.410 --> 06:20.430 not least because of the concerns we have related 06:20.430 --> 06:22.840 to the development of nuclear weapons 06:22.840 --> 06:25.450 and the nuclear programs of North Korea 06:25.450 --> 06:29.730 but also because we see other challenges in the region. 06:29.730 --> 06:32.840 China is a growing power 06:32.840 --> 06:35.690 with growing economic might, military might. 06:35.690 --> 06:38.280 And of course we follow that. 06:38.280 --> 06:42.113 NATO's not present in the Asia Pacific region. 06:43.450 --> 06:45.770 But of course we have partners in the region. 06:45.770 --> 06:50.300 And for us it is important to always be able 06:50.300 --> 06:55.000 to deal with changing security environment 06:55.000 --> 06:58.980 and we see also for instance when it comes to 06:58.980 --> 07:02.487 an issue which is now urgent for European-NATO allies, 07:05.900 --> 07:08.970 the INF Treaty, the Treaty related to 07:08.970 --> 07:11.793 intermediate range nuclear missiles, 07:12.720 --> 07:15.760 this Treaty's now in jeopardy partly 07:15.760 --> 07:18.230 because Russia is developing new missiles. 07:18.230 --> 07:20.600 But one of the reasons why Russia is developing 07:22.379 --> 07:24.750 these new missiles is that China is also deploying 07:24.750 --> 07:27.279 the same kind of missiles. 07:27.279 --> 07:30.460 So this just illustrates that security 07:31.470 --> 07:35.160 is something which is interconnected 07:35.160 --> 07:40.160 and therefore of course we also follow the rise of China 07:41.309 --> 07:43.720 and their military capabilities. 07:43.720 --> 07:44.773 - Lady over there. 07:45.750 --> 07:48.250 - Thank you Secretary, (mumbles) from Afghanistan. 07:49.260 --> 07:51.650 I would like to ask about peace negogiation 07:51.650 --> 07:54.110 even sometime the Afghan government 07:54.110 --> 07:57.597 is not optimistic but the people of Afghanistan 07:57.597 --> 07:59.350 are really optimistic. 07:59.350 --> 08:04.130 If a peace deal is reach whatever, 08:04.130 --> 08:07.870 NATO relations and assistant to Afghanistan will change 08:07.870 --> 08:10.570 or no? Thank you. 08:10.570 --> 08:12.500 - First of all, we strongly support the efforts 08:12.500 --> 08:16.100 to find a peaceful and (mumbles) solution to the 08:16.100 --> 08:17.680 crisis in Afghanistan. 08:17.680 --> 08:21.789 And we welcome the initiative taken by President Ghani 08:21.789 --> 08:24.180 and we welcome also the talks also between US 08:24.180 --> 08:26.070 and the Taliban. 08:26.070 --> 08:27.940 We hope that that can lead to also a process 08:27.940 --> 08:32.623 which includes of course the Afghan government. 08:34.800 --> 08:38.500 I will not speculate about the likelihood of a success, 08:38.500 --> 08:41.850 but it is extremely important to support those efforts. 08:41.850 --> 08:44.490 The way NATO supports those efforts is of course 08:44.490 --> 08:46.270 to support the Afghan government, 08:46.270 --> 08:48.390 political support, practical support, 08:48.390 --> 08:52.610 and also through our military presence 08:52.610 --> 08:54.760 because the purpose of our military presence 08:54.760 --> 08:59.320 in Afghanistan is to send the message to Taliban 08:59.320 --> 09:01.520 that they will not win on the battle field. 09:01.520 --> 09:04.440 So they have to sit down at the negotiating table 09:04.440 --> 09:06.780 and find a political solution. 09:06.780 --> 09:09.230 Then I will expect that the political solution 09:09.230 --> 09:12.160 a peace agreement in Afghanistan will also address 09:12.160 --> 09:17.160 the issue of, presence of, troops from other countries 09:17.740 --> 09:21.720 including NATO but it's much too early to speculate 09:21.720 --> 09:24.850 exactly what kind of consequences that will have 09:24.850 --> 09:29.240 because that will depend on the character of the agreement. 09:29.240 --> 09:31.930 We are ready to continue a partnership, 09:31.930 --> 09:33.653 cooperation with Afghanistan. 09:34.957 --> 09:36.710 And our presence is conditions based 09:36.710 --> 09:39.698 and of course a new peace agreement will have 09:39.698 --> 09:44.230 an important consequence for NATO presence 09:44.230 --> 09:45.653 in Afghanistan. 09:47.080 --> 09:50.483 - Okay, we could have time for one more question over there. 09:51.630 --> 09:54.480 - I'm sorry, I did not have time to 09:54.480 --> 09:56.778 have a question at a previous briefings. 09:56.778 --> 09:59.770 So, if I may, the question 09:59.770 --> 10:01.723 for the Secretary, 10:04.647 --> 10:07.120 Mr. Secretary, what do you think, 10:07.120 --> 10:09.750 I'm representing Belarus, Belarus TV station, 10:09.750 --> 10:13.120 the question is what risks 10:14.070 --> 10:16.690 does the withdrawal from treaty 10:16.690 --> 10:18.850 to such countries like Belarus which are 10:18.850 --> 10:21.890 exactly between NATO and Russia 10:21.890 --> 10:25.030 what should our politics do, 10:25.030 --> 10:27.110 maybe during negogiation on some of this 10:27.110 --> 10:30.130 because our people care about it. 10:30.130 --> 10:32.987 - The INF Treaty has been and still is 10:32.987 --> 10:37.280 extremely important for all European countries 10:37.280 --> 10:40.190 because these missiles they can only reach 10:40.190 --> 10:42.000 targets in Europe. 10:42.000 --> 10:46.970 And the challenge and the problem with a new 10:46.970 --> 10:49.960 Russian missiles is that they are mobile, 10:49.960 --> 10:53.400 they are hard to detect, they are nuclear capable, 10:53.400 --> 10:55.740 they can reach European cities, 10:55.740 --> 11:00.020 they have short warning time so by that 11:00.020 --> 11:02.580 they also reduce the threshold for any potential use 11:02.580 --> 11:04.430 of nuclear weapons in a conflict. 11:04.430 --> 11:07.308 That's the reason why this treaty has been 11:07.308 --> 11:08.287 so important. 11:08.287 --> 11:10.360 And as you know, it didn't only limit the number of missiles 11:10.360 --> 11:13.493 but it actually banned the whole category of missiles. 11:14.330 --> 11:17.270 That's also the reason why we still call on Russia 11:17.270 --> 11:19.570 to come back into compliance in a transparent 11:19.570 --> 11:21.120 and verifiable way. 11:21.120 --> 11:24.400 And that's also the reason why I welcome 11:24.400 --> 11:28.000 the very strong message from all NATO allies 11:28.000 --> 11:30.580 to Russia to do exactly that. 11:30.580 --> 11:32.530 This is of course also important to Belarus 11:32.530 --> 11:37.280 but I'm only able to speak on behalf of NATO allies. 11:37.280 --> 11:38.359 - Thank you very much. 11:38.359 --> 11:39.192 This concludes this press point. 11:39.192 --> 11:40.025 Thank you.