WEBVTT

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- Right, we now move on to
Afrim Gashi from Macedonia,

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Irakli from Georgia and
Yemov Chernev from Ukraine.

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Afrim?

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- Thank you, Miss Moon, President.

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Distinguished Mr. Stoltenberg,

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as you mentioned earlier,
my country, North Macedonia,

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very soon is going to be
the 30th member of NATO.

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In accordance with that thank you.

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You are taking my seconds.

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Even though our process of joining NATO

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is a long standing in time,

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even though 18 MAPS were
delivered in past 18 years,

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even though our real military contribution

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to NATO peace missions in the world

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is evident and highly
appreciated by NATO Allies,

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at the end of the day
we can all openly say

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and acknowledge that
all these achievements,

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national and painful
concessions are the result

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of the adherence and commitment

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of all our governments so far,

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of all our parliamentarians so far,

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and of all the large majority of citizens

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who support Euro-Atlantic integration.

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We believe in the benefits
of NATO membership,

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not only because we know that the states

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and armies of the 29 Allies
will be beside us and with us,

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but also for the future of our

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children and future generation.

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Thank you.

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- So, I did give you a few
extra seconds for the applause.

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Irakli?

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- I would like to thank you
very much, Secretary General,

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for your great address and
for your continued support

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to Georgia's sovereignty,
territorial integrity,

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and our membership aspirations.

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NATO membership is a value based choice

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of the citizens of Georgia

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and 2019 has been very
special and very unique

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in terms of enhancing political

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and practical dimensions
of our cooperation.

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We witness more NATO in Georgia

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and more Georgia in the NATO.

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We attach great importance
to the recent visit

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of the North Atlantic Council to Batumi,

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which is a strong signal of political

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and practical support to our country,

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as well as an ample proof of Georgia's

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significance in the Black
Sea security architecture,

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in land, air, and maritime domains.

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My question is, to what
extent does Georgia's

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engagement on the Black Sea

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contribute and approximate our country

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to its top foreign and
security policy objection,

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which is NATO membership?

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Thank you very much.

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- Yemov from Ukraine?

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- Dear Secretary General,
dear Madam President,

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we have been fighting
against Russia aggression

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for our sovereignty,
for the European values,

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for Europe, since 2014.

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We have already paid high price for it,

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by losing more than 13,000 people.

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NATO has supported us, both
politically and practically.

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We do appreciate this strong support.

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However, it is so important for Ukraine

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to see major signs that NATO's
door is open for Ukraine,

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I'm talking in particular about

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the enhanced opportunity program

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and growing cooperation together,

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in particular navy,

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as the steps to Membership Action Plan.

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I kindly ask you to
bring Allies' attention

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to us as part of the
modern security environment

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and consider various
options to make Ukraine

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and thus Europe, even stronger.

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Thank you.

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- First, North Macedonia,

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it's a great achievement

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and I would like to
commend North Macedonia

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for the enormous progress you have made

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and I really looking forward

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to welcome you as a full member.

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As you know, you're already participating

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as an invitee at all NATO meetings,

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you will also, at least
most of the meetings,

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and you will also be present
at the Summit in December.

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So, I look forward to
having you as a full member.

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Georgia, I have not so much to add,

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but just to say that you're,

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we are also working with
you on the Black Sea

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and everything you do to modernize,

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to improve your defense
and security institutions,

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including naval capabilities,

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is of course helping you
to move towards NATO.

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We also work with your Coast Guard,

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so Black Sea is also part of
the cooperation with Georgia.

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The last one was Ukraine.

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First of all, I think
we have to understand

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that NATO stands in strong
solidarity with Ukraine.

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We provide practical
support, political support,

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and it's absolutely not
acceptable what Russia has done,

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illegally annexing, taking
a part of another country,

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illegally annexing Crimea

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and continuing to
destabilizing eastern Ukraine.

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And therefore we are
stepping up our support,

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our cooperation with Georgia.

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After the incidents and the capture of

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the Ukrainian vessels
in the Strait of Azov,

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we decide also to do more
in the maritime domain,

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to work with the naval academy in Odessa.

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And in a few weeks, the
whole North Atlantic Council

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will go to Ukraine, visit Ukraine,

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and express our strong political support,

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and I urge also NATO Allies to provide

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even more practical support to Ukraine.

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They need our support.

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This is about supporting Ukraine,

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but it is also about upholding

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and supporting a rules-based order,

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which is of great
importance for all of us.

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We are supporting Ukraine's ambitions

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for further Euro-Atlantic
integration, including membership.

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We think that the focus
should be on reforms,

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on how to modernize Ukraine.

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I see that President Poroshenko

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is back in the crowd back there,

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and we have worked together

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on these issues for many, many years.

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And we of course also work
with the new President

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on how we can further strengthen

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the partnership with Ukraine,

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that's good for NATO and
it's good for Ukraine.

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And to modernize their defense
and security institutions

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is the best way also to
move towards membership.

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- We've got two final questions.

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Dragan Sormaz from Serbia
and Andranik Kocharyan

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from the Head of the Armenian Delegation.

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- Thank you, Madam Moon, Mr.
Secretary, short question.

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What is your assessment of
NATO-Serbia cooperation,

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NATO-Serbia partnership today?

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- Andranik?

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- [Interpreter] Thank you.

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Secretary General, Prime
Minister of Armenia

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made a declaration that
solution of Nagorno-Karabakh

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conflict should be acceptable
both for Armenian people,

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Nagorno-Karabakh people, and Azerbaijan.

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This signal from Armenia fully complies

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with the appeal of the
Co-Chairs of Minsk Group

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on preparation of people to peace.

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Unfortunately, we
haven't heard any similar

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declaration from another side,

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even more from there we
hear militant rhetoric.

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My question is, how the
North Atlantic Alliance

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can help to resolve
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

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on a fair and long-term basis?

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And how are you going
to support the efforts

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of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk OSCE group?

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- First, on Serbia, I
strongly believe that

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we have a very good and strong partnership

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with Serbia and I welcome that,

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based on the fact that NATO fully supports

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the decision by Serbia
to be a neutral country.

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NATO of course respects the decision

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of any country when it comes to what kind

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of security arrangements it wants

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to be part of, or don't
want to be a part of.

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So, when North Macedonia or Montenegro

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want to the join NATO, we welcome them.

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But when Serbia decides that they

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don't want to be a member of NATO,

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we absolutely fully respect that.

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So, we respect the sovereignty

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and the sovereignty of Serbia

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to make its own decisions about its path

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and its role in the
international community.

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Based on that, we have a
good partnership with Serbia.

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I visited Serbia not so long ago

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and I saw how we actually had

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a big civil preparedness
exercise together,

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NATO Allies and Serbia,

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and how we are working also
in other areas together,

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strengthening both the
practical cooperation

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and political cooperation.

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So, we welcome that partnership.

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We also hope that it is possible

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to make progress in the
Pristina-Belgrade dialogue,

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to deal with the challenges
we have in Kosovo,

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and therefore we urge all
parties to be constructive

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and find a political solution

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and to reactivate the
Pristina-Belgrade dialogue.

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Then on Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,

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first of all, I met the
Armenian Prime Minister

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in the UN not so many weeks ago,

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that was a very good meeting,

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we addressed a wide range of issues.

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When it comes to Nagorno-Karabakh,

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the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

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is an unresolved conflict

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and of course we are concerned about that

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we have not been able to find a political

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and a permanent solution to that conflict.

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It is clear that there

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is no military solution to the conflict.

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NATO has no direct role,

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but what we do is to support

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the work of the OSCE Minsk
Group and the Co-Chairs,

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to try to find a political solution.

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Then I would like to thank you
all for all your questions,

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on a wide range of issues.

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I think it is extremely important that I,

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as Secretary General,
meet the parliamentarians.

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This demonstrates that NATO

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is an alliance with 29 democracies,

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with many partners and
many, many parliamentarians,

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and that is what makes NATO so strong,

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that we are an alliance
of democratic nations

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with democratic institutions
and parliaments.

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Thank you so much.

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It's great to see you.

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(applause)