Category: Europe

Media advisory

17:30 (CET)    Press conference by the NATO Secretary General and the President of Hungary

Media coverage

• Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO for 2023 can cover the press conference in person.
• The press statements will be live-streamed on the NATO website.
• The video will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.
• A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures taken by NATO photographers, will be available on the NATO website.

For more information:

Contact the NATO Press Office

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @NATO, @jensstoltenberg and @NATOPress

Mr Stoltenberg condemned Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel and underlined the importance of Israel’s response taking place within international law, that civilians are protected, and of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. He stressed that the war must not escalate into a major regional conflict. “We must not give up working for a lasting, political peace solution,” he said, underlining that the war in Gaza “must not lead to a weakening of our will and ability to support Ukraine.”

Warning that there are no signs that Russia is planning for peace, Mr Stoltenberg stressed that Allies must continue to provide Ukraine with lethal aid. He added: “if Ukraine stops defending itself, they will be occupied, and occupation is not peace”. Calling Russia’s invasion “a strategic defeat” which has left Moscow increasingly isolated, he underlined that “investing in Ukraine’s security is also an investment in our security”, because a victory for Putin would show authoritarian leaders that military force pays. 

The Secretary General also underlined the importance of trading with China “in ways that do not undermine our security” or create new dependencies. This also requires continued investment in defence. “Increased defence spending means more defence. But it gives us one more thing: a stronger NATO community,” he said.

Finally, Mr Stoltenberg welcomed that NATO is not only getting stronger; “we’re getting bigger”. Following Finland’s accession in April, Sweden will also soon join the Alliance. This “strengthens our ability to defend the Nordic region; it strengthens our ability to be present in the northern regions; and it strengthens our ability to come to the aid of our Baltic neighbours,” he said.

Mr Stoltenberg will deliver a speech and he will participate in a Q&A session with the parliamentarians.

The Secretary General will engage with the media following the event.  For further details, please contact the Nordic Council.

Photographs of the event, as well as a transcript of the Secretary General’s speech, will be available on the NATO website after the event.

For more information:

For further information on the event, including the agenda, please access the web page of the Nordic Council.

Follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @NATO, @jensstoltenberg and @NATOPress

NATO Days are held to raise awareness and understanding of NATO among public audiences in partner countries, including institutions, international partners, Allied embassies, civil society, academia, media and youth. During the event, lectures, round tables and conferences focused on the current strategic context and on boosting resilience in Moldova, particularly through greater energy security in light of growing international hybrid challenges. An information session on NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme concluded the conference, shifting the focus of conversations from policy towards practical scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange activities.

The SPS presentations to an audience of government officials, civil society and members of the Moldovan academic community outlined Moldova’s record of cooperation in the framework of the SPS Programme, comprising more than 55 activities since 1995. Representatives of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences and of the SPS Programme outlined major achievements of these nearly three decades of cooperation, which include the establishment of a Cyber Incident Response Capability for the Moldovan Armed Forces, the deployment of a mobile laboratory for the detection of biological agents, and the adoption of Moldova’s first National Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Recently, NATO’s scientific cooperation with Moldova has increasingly focused on resilience and the application of technology towards securing critical infrastructure. This was highlighted in a presentation by Dr Veaceslav Sprincean of Moldova State University, who is about to start an SPS project researching the use of unmanned systems and advanced detection systems for critical infrastructure protection, together with scientists from Italy, Latvia and Slovakia.

NATO’s SPS Programme connects academics, experts and officials in Moldova with their counterparts in NATO member and partner countries, and supports their collaborative work on innovative scientific projects. SPS activities expand and create international scientific networks that address shared security challenges and exchange knowledge on security-related topics. To stay up-to-date with the latest opportunities offered by the SPS Programme, subscribe to the SPS newsletter.

The delegation of senior military officials was welcomed by Commander AIRCOM, General James B. Hecker. “Besides our leading role in coordinating the Allies’ Space activities and maintaining Space awareness for the Alliance, we also enhance our traditional air capabilities in support of multi-domain operations,” said General Hecker. He proceeded to illustrate AIRCOM’s plans for strengthening the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro Atlantic Area (DDA). “With our collective AIRCOM effort we ensure the security and strength of the Alliance – working on important subjects like counter anti-access and area denial, continuing to lead NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence, trailblazing Agile Combat Employment and enhancing cross-border operational procedures of our air forces,” he stated.

Admiral Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, also highlighted AIRCOM’s critical expertise in deploying Allied air forces along the eastern flank, orchestrating air defence capabilities and strengthening command and control of Allied integrated air assets. 

Reflecting on Air and Space Power as a force multiplier and catalyst for NATO multi-domain operations, the Chair discussed ‘ubiquity’ as the unique capability offered by Air Power to ensure “we stay one step ahead of our adversaries, from seabed to space”.

Sessions throughout the day offered the NATO HQ military representatives a deep-dive into how AIRCOM implements the Alliance’s subordinate strategic plans in the Air and Space domains and centered on a number of key topics, included Integrated Air and Missiles Defence (IAMD) in correlation to industrial capacity; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and integrated processes among nations. “This challenge goes beyond the simple concept of air and missile defence we were accustomed to”, said Admiral Bauer reflecting on the importance of Air and Space Power as a critical element of the Alliance’s overall deterrence and defence, now and going forward. “In this new era of collective defence – marked by an increasingly complex and multifaceted global security landscape – the importance of Air and Space Power as a cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities will continue to grow”, he stressed, adding that this is instrumental to the Alliance’s readiness and ability to defend every inch of our territory and uphold our shared values of freedom and democracy.

Noting that NATO and Cabo Verde “share the same values of freedom, democracy, and human rights,” Mr Stoltenberg said that NATO is stepping up cooperation with partners “to defend our values and the rules-based international order”. He underlined that NATO already has partners in North Africa and is strengthening cooperation with the African Union to address common challenges, including terrorism, climate change, and small arms proliferation.

The Secretary General welcomed Cabo Verde’s clear stance on Ukraine, including through votes at the UN General Assembly. He said that Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, instability in the Middle East and the ongoing threat of terrorism “remind us that our security is not regional, it is global” and that “what happens in Europe matters for Africa, and what happens in Africa, matters for Europe”.

In 2006 Cabo Verde hosted the NATO exercise Steadfast Jaguar in Flamingo Bay on the island of Sao Vicente. This major exercise involving more than 7,000 troops tested the ability of NATO’s rapid response force to carry out missions anywhere at any time.