Mark Rutte takes office as NATO Secretary General

Jens Stoltenberg:

Good morning and welcome all to today’s meeting.

Before I address the Council and hand over to the new Secretary General, let me hand the floor to the Dean of the Council, Ambassador Nobilo.

[Remarks by the Dean]

Thank you so much, Mario.
Dear friends and colleagues,
Dear Mark,

When I became Minister for Industry and Energy in Norway in the early 1990s, the Prime Minister told me that I needed to be prepared for long meetings in the Parliament.

And I had to sit for hours and listen to not always very exciting debates.

But the Prime Minister also told me: “Remember that this is democracy. This is how we take care of our great nation. And how we make decisions together.”

In the same way, I have sat here in the North Atlantic Council for 10 years. For more than 1000 Council meetings. And listened to discussions that I think we all can agree were not always very exciting.

But all of them are part of how we take care of our great Alliance and how make decisions together.

History was made in this room. Over the last decade we have achieved great things.

We have undergone the biggest transformation of NATO in a generation.

We have strengthened our defences. From having zero to eight NATO battlegroups,
with tens of thousands of combat-ready NATO soldiers on our eastern flank. We have gone from thousands to half a million troops on high readiness.

And from three to twenty-three Allies spending at least two percent of GDP on defence.

And we have strengthened NATO as an institution. Doubling our common budget to ensure we can effectively deliver.

Our family of Allies and partners has grown. Montenegro, North Macedonia, Finland and Sweden joined our Alliance.

And Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. In 2014, we only provided marginal support to Ukraine. Now, our support is massive. And NATO is coordinating it through our new command in Germany.

We have also broadened our partnerships in the south.  Deepened relations with countries in the Indo Pacific. And NATO-EU cooperation has reached unprecedented levels.

Europe and North America together in a strong NATO is the only way forward.

Unity remains our greatest strength.

It has been an honour for me to be at the helm of NATO. And to work with all your nations, and with everyone at this table and in this building.

I thank you all. Civilian and military leaders, Members of the International Staff, the International Military Staff, and representatives of national delegations.

And of course, I thank my dear Ingrid. And this time I will keep my promise, I am leaving Brussels in a few hours.

And now Mark, it is over to you! You know NATO well. And you are well-known across the Alliance. You have the perfect background and experience to become a great Secretary General of NATO.

During your many years, 14 years as Prime Minister you have demonstrated that you know how to build consensus. You have led 4 different coalition governments so you know how to make compromises. That is something which will be highly valued here at NATO.

But you have also demonstrated that you don’t compromise on our values and principles.

We see that with your personal commitment to our transatlantic bond. And your unwavering support for Ukraine.

Now is the time for me to leave, and for you to begin your term as Secretary General of NATO.
To mark the moment, I will hand you this gavel donated to NATO in 1963 by Iceland.

It is used for special meetings in NATO. The last time it was used was when we had the last ministerial meeting in the old NATO building of the road. And then we use it again today. Whether you decide to use this every day it’s up to you. It’s a Viking gavel.

Dear Mark, please receive this special gavel and let me invite you to take the seat of the Chair of the North Atlantic Council.

Mark Rutte:

Thank you Jens, and thank you Ambassador Nobilo, Dear Mario for your fair kind words and a good morning to all. Merci Jens, et bonjour à toutes et à tous.

It is a great honour to be here and to take up the position of NATO Secretary General. And first of all, I want to thank all of your nations for trusting me with the responsibility of guiding the Alliance in the coming years.

It is a big job. And I have big shoes to fill! Jens, you have been an exemplary Secretary General.
Today NATO is bigger, NATO is stronger and is more united than ever, that is in large part because of your leadership. On the one hand, you have set the bar high for your successor. But on the other, I inherit a robust Alliance.
Jens, my dear friend, thank you!

Dear colleagues,

I have every intention of keeping up the good work you have initiated in recent years. And I am determined to prepare NATO for the challenges of the future.

As Secretary General I will work on three priorities.

The first is to keep NATO strong and ensure our defences remain effective and credible, against all threats. For this, we need more forces. With better capabilities. And faster innovation. This requires more investment. Because to do more, we must spend more. There is no cost-free alternative if we are to rise to the challenges ahead. And keep our 1 billion people safe.

My second priority is to step up our support for Ukraine and bring it ever closer to NATO. Because there can be no lasting security in Europe without a strong, independent Ukraine. I know from personal experience, with the downing of flight MH17 in 2014, how conflict in Ukraine is not contained to the frontlines. So, we must do our part. We must deliver on the package agreed at the Washington Summit: the command, the financial pledge, and Ukraine’s irreversible path to membership. And we must sustain this support into the future. Because Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO.

The third priority is to strengthen our partnerships: with our unique and essential partner, the European Union and with countries around the world that share our interests and values. Jens, you did a great job building stronger connections with partners, especially in the Indo-Pacific. In a global and interconnected world, our security has to be a team effort.

I look forward to working closely with all Allies.

All of you around this table, in this building, and all across NATO. If any job could make me leave my home city of Den Haag, it is this one.

Ambassador Petridis, dear Ariadne,

I want to thank you and your country for welcoming me here in Brussels. It is a city I have gotten to know well over the years. Thanks to the endless amount of EU Council meetings I have attended. It is now my home away from home.

I am eager to roll up my sleeves, get to know every one of you and get to work together! So, I want to thank you very much.

And I believe now, the right wording is that I have to say: This meeting now stands adjourned.

Source – NATO: Handover remarks in the North Atlantic Council by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg followed by Secretary General Designate Mark Rutte

Good afternoon.

And I am glad to see all you here today. Brussels has one of the largest international press corps in the world and I am looking forward to be working with you.

First, I want again to express my profound gratitude to Jens Stoltenberg for the tremendous job he has done in the past ten years. Few leaders of this Alliance faced a more challenging geopolitical environment. But Jens steered us through difficult times with a steady hand. He played a big part in making today’s NATO stronger than ever, and he leaves behind an enduring legacy.

I also want to thank the 32 Allies for their trust and confidence, for choosing me as his successor. I am deeply honoured to serve as Secretary General of NATO – the most successful political-military Alliance in history. But NATO Allies face serious challenges. And we have work to do.

At the Washington Summit, Allies set a clear course towards a safer world for the 1 billion people we serve. Now it is my job to ensure that we collectively implement these decisions and continue to adapt our Alliance to a more complex world. All 32 Allies have their unique role to play. And there is nothing we cannot achieve together.

I have three priorities:

• Ensure we have the capabilities to protect against any threat;

• Support Ukraine in fighting back against Russian aggression; and

• Addressing the growing global challenges to Euro-Atlantic security.

First, on our military capabilities.

NATO’s core mission is to ensure our collective deterrence and defence. Over the past decade, we have made tremendous progress in ensuring we have the forces and capabilities to deter and defend against any threat, from any direction.

But we must go further and faster to meet enormous challenge ahead.

• We need more, better equipped forces;
• A more robust transatlantic defence industry;
• Increased defence production capacity;
• Greater investment in innovation; and
• Secure supply chains.

Allies are already stepping up, with plans to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems; many hundreds of modern aircraft, mostly 5th generation F-35s; as well as substantial high-end capabilities. But to truly match our capabilities with our needs, we need significantly more defence spending.

I will work with Allies to ensure that we invest enough, in the right areas, and that we shoulder the burden for our collective defence equitably. We must each pay our fair share.

My next priority is support for Ukraine.

I have travelled to Ukraine several times in recent years. To Odessa, Kyiv, Bucha, Borodianka, and Kharkiv, close to the Russian border… Where I witnessed first-hand the brutality of Russia’s war of aggression, and the bravery of Ukraine’s people in their fight for freedom.

Supporting Ukraine is the right thing to do. And it is also an investment in our own security. Because an independent and democratic Ukraine is vital for peace and stability in Europe. And the cost of supporting Ukraine is far, far lower than the cost we would face if we allow Putin to get his way.

I know from personal experience, with the downing of flight MH17, how the conflict in Ukraine is not contained to the frontlines. It was a tragedy that shook my country ten years ago. One that must never be repeated.

At the Washington Summit, Allies agreed a support package for Ukraine, including with a NATO command, a long-term financial pledge, and an irreversible path to membership. I will work with Allies to ensure that we fully implement our decisions and that we continue to bring Ukraine ever closer to NATO.

NATO’s focus must remain, obviously, on Euro-Atlantic security, keeping our 1 billion people safe. 

But the threats we face are increasingly global. Therefore I will deepen our partnerships with like-minded nations, near and far, that share our values. The European Union is NATO’s unique and essential partner. There is potential to boost our cooperation in many areas, from supporting Ukraine to countering hybrid threats.

We will also increase our engagement with partners across the Middle East, North Africa and the Sahel regions to foster stability in our Southern neighbourhood. We must do more to counter the threat of terrorism to our nations and our populations. And, further afield, we will enhance cooperation with our Indo-Pacific partners.

Through its support for Russia’s military industry, China has become a decisive enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine. China cannot continue to fuel the largest conflict in Europe since the second world war without this impacting its interests and reputation. Russia is also receiving support from North Korea and Iran that allows it to sustain its illegal war.

Later this month, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea are participating in a NATO Defence Ministerial for the first time. I look forward to welcoming them and forging a shared approach to our shared challenges.

Finally, I want to thank all the men and women in uniform serving our Alliance.

You put into practice the defence of our freedoms every day, often at great risk to yourselves. Thank you for your service. I look forward to working with all of you. And I cannot wait to get started.

And with that, I am ready for your questions.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Thank you, Secretary General. We’ll start with the BBC please.

Jonathan Beale (BBC)

Thank you very much. Jonathan Beale, BBC, Secretary General, congratulations on your appointment. Could I just ask you two questions? The first is, the last Secretary General made clear that he supported Ukraine in its request to use Western supplied long-range weapons like Storm Shadow, ATACMS to hit military targets inside Russia. What is your position on that? Do you support Ukraine in its request for Western countries to lift those restrictions, and will you be asking Western countries to do that? My second question is, you yourself talked about the need for significant more defence spending. I just wondered whether you think you set a good example as the Dutch Prime Minister, you spent –10 years before you reached 2% that was 10 years after NATO Allies met in Cardiff to agree the 2% goal. Do you think you practice what you preach?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

No, and I’m happy that the Netherlands is now at 2% obviously the 23rd –24th of February, 2022 was a wakeup call for many, also for my country, and I’m very happy that we are now at 2% but obviously you have a point here that we should have done this earlier. Then on your other question, let’s not forget Ukraine is fighting a war of self defence, and that means that Ukraine has the right to defend itself. And as we know, international law, and according to international law, this right does not end at the border. So that means that supporting Ukraine’s right to self defence means that it is also possible for them to strike legitimate targets on the aggressor territory. At the end, it’s up to each Ally to determine its support for Ukraine. That’s not up to me. This is for the individual Allies in their relationship with Ukraine. And we also have to be clear that not a single, one single weapon alone will win the war. But obviously this is an important debate.

Jonathan Beale (BBC)

And do you support Ukraine’s request?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Well, I can understand Ukraine’s request. I understand so I’m with Jens Stoltenberg on this and what he said before. But in the end, that is up to each Ally to decide what they want to do. And when I look at in particular Allies which are involved here they have now, for example, the United States and their leadership, they have spent tens of thousands, tens of billions in dollars to support Ukraine’s right to self defence. And let’s be clear, Ukraine likely would not exist as a country today without US support.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, we’ll go to NPR Deutsche Welle, Teri.

Teri Schultz (NPR/DW)

Hi, thanks, over here. Teri Schultz, nice to meet you, and welcome to NATO HQ, I’ve covered four –you’re the fourth Secretary General that I’ve covered. And to be fair, all of them come in saying that they’re going to improve the cooperation with the European Union. Maybe you have more EU experience than the rest. So I’m interested in specifically how you’re going to do this. Is this going to help on military mobility and on the capability targets? You’ve got new defence plans, biggest revamp in decades. How are you going to help the SACEUR come up with these increased number of troops that they’ve promised. What are you going to do specifically about production capability? You’ve been –
NATO’s been saying for years, increased production capacity, and they’re still not there. You’ve got lower stocks. What are some specifics you’re going to do to get NATO to the war fighting capability that it’s promising with these new operational plans? Thanks.

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Very good question. Maybe first to start with NATO-EU. Of course, I’m good friends with all the senior leaders in EU, and I’m looking forward to work with them, and I will have meetings soon scheduled with the incoming president European Council and with the President of the Commission, who will continue in that role, and, of course, the other main players, and I welcome, I must say, EU’s efforts to defence. I think there is a clear recognition, both on the side of NATO and on the European Union, that we both value a more capable European defence, of course, being complementary to and interoperable with NATO, but that’s also what I hear back from the EU side. Nobody wants parallel structures. Nobody wants, let’s say, duplication of what NATO already is doing. So I think we can be on one page on this, but clearly, also the EU has to now think about how to implement all these policies, and I’m really looking forward to work with them in conjunction, because at the end, we have the same goal, and this is to keep also this part of the world safe. On industry this is clearly, for me, a priority, because without a strong transatlantic defence industry, there can be no defence that’s clear. Well, in the past few years, let’s say, let’s agree, that we have seen a marked increase in defence production across the Alliance. We are producing more shells, more ships and more missiles than we have done for decades. So that is the positive, but we need to go further. We need to go faster. That is for our own deterrence and defence, but also in support of Ukraine. I think NATO has the tools to help increase production, aggregate Allied demand, for example, and deliver capabilities. And also at Washington Summit, as you know, the defence industrial pledge was agreed, and I will be delivering on that pledge in the coming month. So this is a clear priority, and I work with my team and with Allies to make sure that we ramp up defence production that we look into the reasons why sometimes it is difficult for companies to do that. There might be this issue of more, longer term contracts, which I’m hearing, and there are other issues, and you probably have heard the same, which we have to work on them and make sure that there is no excuse for anyone not to have a bigger defence production in overall size than we have at the moment.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Thank you. I’ll go to Reuters over there at the end.

Andrew Gray (Reuters)

Secretary General, Andrew Gray from Reuters over here.

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Yes, hello, good to see you.

Andrew Gray (Reuters)

A simple question, is Ukraine winning the war against Russia’s invasion? And what can you and NATO Allies do to change the reality on the battlefield?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Well, clearly, Ukraine is fighting this war of self-defence, and as you know, I’m absolutely impressed by what Ukraine is doing. They have shown with courage, they have shown also with creativity, they can push back the Russian forces. When you ask me, what is the situation now, on the battlefield, clearly, it’s not easy. It’s difficult. There’s, on the one hand, Ukraine’s army, as you know, holding on part of the Kursk Region in Russia. But we also have seen Russian forces making some limited gains on the battlefield this year. But that progress, don’t forget, has been costly. Recent estimates I am getting and probably you also, Russian losses run at about 1000 killed or wounded a day, 1000 killed or wounded a day, and that is on top of the total of 500.000 already killed or wounded. And therefore, it is crucial that because of this on continuing Russian onslaught, that Allies are providing the billions of additional aid. And as you know, Allied leaders will be at Ramstein in a few weeks to address Ukraine’s most urgent battlefield needs and to coordinate the further support.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, over to ZDF.

Piet Eekman (ARD/ZDF)

[speaking in Dutch]

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

The first question is on whether the support for Ukraine will continue, both on the European side as well as on the US side. And I’m absolutely optimistic about this, because everyone I speak with in America, on the Republican side, on the Democrat side, but also here in Europe, understands that if Russia would win in Ukraine, if Putin would get what he wants, that that would ultimately mean that our security situation is in a much more difficult state, that it means that he would gain one quarter of his territory and one quarter of his population extra so this is the direct defence impact it would have. And obviously this is also about our values, why we are helping and defending Ukraine. I worked with Donald Trump for four years. I’ve been in close talks with Kamala Harris. I respect them both very much. I am absolutely convinced that on this issue, they both see what is necessary. And when you take, for example, President Trump, thanks to him, we pushed up the defence spending. We sped up the defence spending since the Summit here in 2018 particularly, but also what he said on China is now very much taken on board, I think by many of us. Kamala Harris has a record as Vice President and now as a candidate in defending American values. So, I think on the US side, it will be hard work to make sure that we all stay united, but at the end, I’m convinced that we all understand why this is necessary, because our defence and our values are at stake here. So, this is very fundamental.

Your other question was on… yes, so clearly, as I said in my introductory remarks, there has been… the language in Washington on Ukraine and that their future place is in NATO. Of course, what we now first have to deal with is the war, and to make sure that Ukraine prevails, and that Ukraine prevails as an independent, sovereign and democratic nation, that is now the priority. And I don’t want to get into now what type of pathways there are to NATO membership, because there are so many varieties here and so many options, and that will very much also depend, of course, on Ukrainian leadership and how this war evolves.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, we’ll go to Ukraine News Agency Dmytro, yeah.

Dmytro Shkurko (Ukraine News Agency)

Thank you for your floor. Russian President Putin recently presented his new nuclear doctrine and decreased the threshold for use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear states. Clearly, it is a threat for Ukraine but also for NATO countries supporting Ukraine. My question is, would that somehow impact the support NATO provides to Ukraine? And the second part of the question, do you consider necessary to maybe adjust the nuclear deterrence NATO now has? Thank you so much.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, of course, we hear regular threats from the Kremlin and it’s true that Putin’s nuclear rhetoric is reckless and irresponsible, but at the same time, let me make it absolutely clear, we do not see any imminent threat of nuclear weapons being used. And that’s what I want to say about this at this moment. Because let him talk about his nuclear arsenal. He wants us also to discuss his nuclear arsenal. And I think we shouldn’t. We should just acknowledge the fact that clearly, there is no imminent threat of nuclear weapons being used, and that is important and generally, not just on nuclear, but more generally, if you would give in to Putin threats, that would set a precedent that using military force allows a country to get what it wants, and we cannot do that.

NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, I’ll go to NOS.

Kysia Hekster (NOS)

Thank you. Congratulations. As we are talking here, there’s just been announced another air alert in Kyiv, and the Kremlin said today that they do not expect any major policy change from NATO’s new Secretary General. That’s you. And my question is, how are you going to surprise the Kremlin?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

Well, first of all, let me say that the Kremlin on this particular issue has excellent sources, and I couldn’t have said it in a better way than they did in that press release, because I’m very much an admirer of Jens Stoltenberg and of his agenda.
Obviously, over time, you will see different emphasis on different issues, you will see a difference in style. That’s unavoidable. We are different persons, but I think the agenda he and the Council set out, the decisions taken in the Washington Summit, they are all necessary to make sure that we cannot, only today, counter any threat against NATO territory, and we can. But also in the future, we will be ready to do so. But obviously, over time, things will change, because also the situation changes. And one of the issues I want, really to spend time on, as I said before, is this issue, and I know that this was also very close to Jens Stoltenberg’s heart, is defence production, the industry and how to get them on board to make sure that the big defence industry companies will have more shifts, will work five, six shifts through the week, including the weekends, to produce what we need in terms of missiles and all the other stuff we need.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Thank you. We’ll go to Interfax Ukraine, back there.

Iryna Somer (Interfax Ukraine)

Thank you, Farah. News Agency Interfax Ukraine, Iryna Somer. Secretary General, what will be your approach to Ukraine’s membership in NATO? Are you going to build a consensus to invite Ukraine as soon as possible, or it will be ‘let’s wait and see’? Dankjewel.

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Dankjewel and thank you, and good to see you. I think the Washington Summit clearly took the next step in the Summit conclusions, and I’m very happy about that. And obviously what we now have to focus on is the war effort, and to make sure that—and this is the paradox, the more we help Ukraine at the moment, the sooner this will end. And Putin has to realise that we will not give in. That we want Ukraine to prevail. In the end, when you talk about peace, it’s up to the Ukrainian government to decide when they are at a stage that they want to discuss peace and peace talks, etc. That’s for later. And obviously we have to look at all these developments over the next six months, year, two years, also in the context of a possible future NATO membership, but it is very difficult at this stage to exactly predict how the one and the other might, yes or no, be connected.

NATO Spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, I’ll go to NHK.

Sachiyo Sugita (NHK)

Thank you. On the IP4 cooperation, I’d like to ask: could you elaborate more on how you plan to deepen the ties with the IP4 countries, and in what fields you wish to deepen the cooperation?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Well, I think this cooperation is crucial. And I was so happy that at the leaders’ level, the last few Summits, we saw the Prime Ministers of New Zealand, Australia and Japan and the president of South Korea participate. And I’m so happy that the defence ministers will be participating mid-October in the next Defence Ministerial. That is crucial. Why is this crucial? Because Russia gets support from North Korea, from Iran, but also from China. There are also other issues at stake in the Indo Pacific, and that is why we need to strengthen our ties with our Indo Pacific partners. And we also have to discuss to get more and more meat to the bone. And of course, we can think of many ways to do that. I’m not going now to go into what that particularly might be, because I want also to discuss this with the defence ministers and with the leaders. But clearly there is now a base, and I know that in all four countries; Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, it is very much high on the agenda. And they are there for a reason in these Summits, because they sense that there is a togetherness. There are global threats we have to face. So there’s ample opportunity. But I think I should first discuss with them, some options to, based on this well-established cooperation, take the next steps. But clearly we are going to do that. That’s absolutely my aim.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, I’ll go to TRT at the top, there.

Mustafa Seçen (TRT)

Mr Secretary General, welcome to Brussels and congratulations. You visited Türkiye last April and you met with President Erdogan. As you know Türkiye has expectations such as the fight against terrorism and the lifting of embargoes between Allies. At the same time, during the Stoltenberg term, a Special Coordinator for Counter Terrorism was established in NATO. So, in this sense, as Secretary General, what will be your approach regarding this matter? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

This is a very important issue. And yes, I discussed it multiple times in meetings I had with President Erdogan. He and I have worked in all the years that I was Prime Minister. And of course, he was already Prime Minister before I became prime minister, and then he became president of the Republic. I think I could say we are close friends, and we see eye to eye on this and clearly fighting terrorism is something we also have to take up within the NATO context. He is not the only pushing for that. I’m absolutely receptive to this, because we have to work on this in in conjunction. We will do that. We will do that. We will we will have those discussions. And also, I think it is important that within NATO there are no boundaries in terms of who you can supply whatever I know. There’s also sensitivity there, and we have to work also on that.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Thank you, I’ll go to Bloomberg, the back.

Andrea Palasciano (Blooomberg)

Welcome. Congrats, Secretary General, you mentioned China. I want to ask, is there a red line for China and its support to Russia that would trigger a strong NATO response?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Well, at the moment, I think the problem we are facing with China, as I said in my introduction, is that it is an enabler. It is an enabler of Russia’s brutal war of aggression. As prime minister of the Netherlands, I was visiting China mid-March, and had discussions there with the senior leadership, and I said, I don’t understand why, for close friends, as they call me and others here in Europe, “you bring us under threat. Why you are supporting Russia, why you are delivering the microelectronics, why you are delivering the raw materials, the sanction circumvention, the dual use goods in general. And this has got, this has got to stop, and it has an impact understanding in the world, that’s clear. So, I’m not now literally going to answer your question, but clearly this is an issue we are facing, and it is also a reason why we have worked to work closely together, also with friends in the Indo Pacific And Russia is not getting all of this for free. They are not getting the ammunition from North Korea for free. They are not getting the missiles and drones from Iran for free. They are not getting the microelectronics and raw materials and other dual use goods and all the sanctioned circumvention from China for free. What Russia has to deliver back to them in return is clearly helping them to develop their programs, including missile programs and nuclear programs, and they are violating UN Security Council resolution. So, this is really a big issue we are facing.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Okay, we’ll go to Kurdistan 24

Barzan Hassan (Kurdistan 24)

Barzan Hassan, reporter from Kurdistan, 24 good to see you. I’m very happy to see you. Over the past decade, you have very good relationship with the Kurdish authority. Especially in Iraqi Kurdistan region. So especially during the combat against ISIS/Daesh. Could you give me or could you promise them you will not leave them alone and continue to provide and support and training Kurdish Peshmerga to against ISIS

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Yes, and in general Iraq, if I may put it like that, obviously we also work closely with the Kurdish region and with Erbil, but also generally with Iraq. We work with our partners to build, as you know, stronger security forces we are fighting terrorism, obviously fully respecting Iraq’s sovereignty and independence. I know that Jen Stoltenberg, my predecessor, he met the Iraqi prime minister just a couple of days ago. I think it was in New York. And we will stay in close contact with the government, and obviously, at the same time also very much focusing on the safety of our people there and taking all the precautions necessary.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Thank you, we’ll go to AFP, Max.

Max Delaney (AFP)

Secretary General, thank you very much. Max Delaney, AFP. Two questions, do you think it is possible to do a deal to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours? And secondly, on Trump, you said you’re not worried about him, but this is a man who has said that he would, and who has encouraged Russia to do whatever it wants with countries in NATO that don’t pay enough on defence. Is there any place for language like that that undermines the Article 5 guarantee in the Alliance?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

My point is this, I worked with Donald Trump, and I think we have to acknowledge that on the two issues I mentioned before, on the defence spending, when Jen Stoltenberg started, it was three countries delivering the 2%, it is now 23 countries delivering on the 2% and the overall spending in NATO now is at 2% or more. And this is a huge thing. I would say he, not only he, but also thanks to him pushing, this has been achieved. And I also mentioned China, that when he started to talk about China, I believe not everybody was realising the threat that we had to face, and the role it is now playing in Ukraine, for example, and in the Ukraine war. So, on these issues, I would think that he had the foresight to work on this. And I want to acknowledge that. I’m not going to comment on everything Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, the Vice President is saying, but generally, my impression and my gut feel is based on all the talks I have had on both sides of the aisle, including with the candidates, is that they understand that in the end, the transatlantic relationship is crucial, not just for Europe. It’s not there for an historical reason that they didn’t want to make, repeat the mistake after the First World War, not being involved in Europe. No, it is crucial for their defence, for their security, because if Russia would be successful in gaining more influence in this part of the world, that would be a direct security threat towards America, towards the United States, and that includes if Putin would get what he wants in Ukraine. So that’s why I’m making those comments. And I don’t want to react on every syllable, every sentence any of the American politicians are uttering, but this is my general conviction.

NATO Spokesperson, Farah Dakhlallah

Thank you. We’ll take one final question from ANSA and wrap it up. Thank you all.

Mattia Bagnoli (ANSA)

Hello. Secretary General, Mattia Bagnoli, ANSA, the National Italian News Agency. Two questions, if I may, in the first one, in your previous job, one of your main concern was to be sure that Italy and other EU countries would spend less and balance the book. Now, ironically, you will need to push for Italy and others to actually spend more. So what is your strategy here, given the fact that budgets in many countries are, as you know, already stretched. And secondly, you talked about partnerships. So what’s your vision for the southern neighbourhood? What can NATO do, really, to be more relevant there?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Yes, well, I’m very happy that Jens Stoltenberg appointed a special representative southern neighbourhood, and I had the opportunity last week to have extensive talks on this issue. And I think there are ample opportunities to work closer together, and we have to develop this over the coming months. On your first question. Clearly, this is an issue facing many governments, but hey, at the end, this is what politicians are there to do. And I know that Giorgia Meloni, my successor in the Netherlands, Olaf Scholz, all the leaders here on the European side, but also in Canada and the US, we know that this is our task to balance the books, yes, to make sure that you have a situation where you can hand over to the next generation in a way that the state finances are sustainable, but also to make sure that the priorities which need to be financed can be financed. And there are various ways to do that, but I will not, of course, go into that, because that is different for every country. What I liked in the EU was that the country specific recommendations have now been made more central to the decision-making process, and I think that system of the CSR, the Country Specific Recommendations, is an excellent one, because it addresses the issues in my country. And my country is now struggling to get the 5 billion from the COVID fund. My government already, and this government is working on that, to implement all the policies so that the 5 billion will be released. I know that all governments are working on that, and it means that in return for more reforms and making your economies more resilient, the EU is also willing to help, in this case with the COVID repair money. But in the end, that’s up to the national governments, but, but it is clear, we have to defend our Alliance. We have to make sure that our nations, our people, our values, are defended at this moment. That’s absolutely the case. If anybody attacks NATO, we are ready to react, and we will win. But we have to make sure that that is also the case in the coming years.

Unidentified Speaker

Will you still bike to go to work?

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Oh, let’s see. It’s not wise to talk about transport because it is also related to your security.

[Inaudible Question]

NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte

Oh, but I will also spend some time in The Hague, but most of my time, of course, in Brussels, absolutely, thank you. Looking forward to that, it’s a fantastic city and a fantastic country.
Thank you all. I look forward to meeting you many more times in the next years. Thank you so much.