Category: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Media advisory

13:00 (CEST) Official handshake between the Secretary General and the President of Czechia

13:30 (CEST) Opening of the exhibition “NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days” in the NATO HQ Public Square

13:40 (CEST) Joint press conference by the Secretary General and the President of Czechia
 

Media coverage

• Media representatives who have annual accreditation to NATO can attend the event in person.
   
• Media representatives without annual accreditation who are interested in covering the event should email NatoAccreditations@hq.nato.int. Please note that due to the short time to process applications, ad-hoc accreditation may not be guaranteed.
   
• The pool of visual media covering the official handshake will meet in front of the Press Shop at NATO HQ at 12:30.
   
• The press statements will be streamed live on the NATO website and on X @NATOPress. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be on the NATO website.
   
• Video can be downloaded from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.

For more information:
For general queries: Contact the NATO Press Office
Follow us on X: @NATO, @SecGenNATO and @NATOPress

The conference, which focuses on political and strategic-level themes, engaged NATO delegates, senior decision-makers in capitals, and stakeholders from across the Alliance.

The Secretary General opened the conference with keynote remarks highlighting the critical role of IAMD for NATO’s deterrence and defence. Mr Rutte underscored the need for Allies to invest more in defence and increase overall defence industrial production in light of global security challenges.

She began at the Ämari Airbase, from where the Portuguese Air Force currently helps secure the skies as part of NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission.  The Deputy Secretary General was also briefed on the ongoing multinational exercise Hedgehog/Siil. Led by Estonia, the exercise brings together over 18,000 Estonian military personnel and forces from eleven Allied countries, including NATO’s multinational presence in Estonia.  

At the Lennart Meri Conference later in the day, the Deputy Secretary General outlined NATO’s priorities for the upcoming Summit in The Hague.  She discussed the ways to strengthen deterrence and defence in the face of global security challenges, emphasising the importance of increasing defence spending and defence production. She also discussed NATO’s support to Ukraine.
Mrs. Shekerinska also visited the Regional Hub of NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), where start-ups work to adapt their innovative technologies to defence, in areas such as sensing and surveillance, energy, and critical infrastructure.

The Deputy Secretary General met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Margus Tsahkna, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Hanno Pevkur.  She thanked Estonia for its exemplary commitment to investing in defence, support for Ukraine, as well as for its contributions to defence innovation and cyber defence.

Amongst other engagements, Mr Rutte met with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and took part in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama, at which they discussed the situation in the Western Balkans. The Secretary General also participated in a roundtable on boosting European competitiveness and security through innovation and resilience.

The war against Ukraine remained at the forefront of leaders’ minds, with the Secretary General renewing calls for Russia to engage meaningfully in peace talks. “He has to be serious about wanting peace. I think all the pressure is now on Putin” Mr Rutte said, commending the Ukrainians for attending the discussions with a delegation willing to negotiate a ceasefire.

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The Secretary General made clear that determining a new baseline spending figure was to be the core deliverable for the Summit, emphasising that the existing target of 2% “is not nearly enough.”

“We will need greater investment in our core military requirements as well as additional broader defence-related investments, including infrastructure and resilience” the Secretary General said, stressing that this made both economic and strategic sense. “We have to make sure that we spend enough money all over NATO to keep ourselves safe” he continued, insisting the changes would be crucial to meeting NATO’s new capability targets and deterring aggression.

Mr Rutte praised NATO members for demonstrating their growing commitment to fair burden-sharing, affirming “we are now on the right track”. “Most Allies are now set to reach the initial aim of spending 2% of GDP on defence this year and many have already announced plans to go much further” he added.

The Secretary General also reaffirmed NATO’s long-term support for Ukraine, highlighting efforts to bring the war to a just and lasting end as a shared priority for all Allies. “With or without a settlement, it is clear that our support to Ukraine will continue to be important to ensure a lasting peace” he concluded.

The Secretary General will have multiple bilateral meetings, including with the Prime Minister of Albania, Mr Edi Rama.

Media advisory

+/-10:00 (CEST) Doorstep by the NATO Secretary General

Media Coverage 

• A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as pictures, will be available on the  NATO website.

For more information:

For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

Follow us on X: @NATO, @SecGenNATO and @NATOPress

The Head of Cooperation Policy and Programmes Branch, Colonel (IT AR) Michele Melchionna, opened the programme by stating: “Your presence here is a testament to our shared commitment to collective security and the common values that unite us.” He also emphasized that “Our partnerships remain indispensable in confronting the complex and evolving challenges of the contemporary security environment.”

On the first day, participants were briefed on programmes and tools such as the Individually Tailored Partnership Programme and ePrime. The following day, a thorough discussion was held on how NATO supports partner nations in the area of defence education, including tools and resources for delivering capacity building, and how to build integrity and governance. The day concluded with exchanges on NATO’s approach to climate change and its role in counter terrorism.

Finally, on the third day, participants visited various Partner Mission premises and gained valuable insights into the practical aspects of military and defence cooperation with NATO from the partner’s perspective. To conclude the meeting, participants benefited from a discussion on NATO’s partnership with the European Union, and programme policy updates on the Partnership Staff Posts (PSP).

CS Director Major General (ROU AR) Dacian-Tiberiu Șerban officially closed the first portion of the Familiarization Programme at the NATO HQ, by recalling that “We, too, have learned a great deal from your contributions, the open discussions, and the exchange of ideas. Your participation has been truly enriching, and we are grateful for the perspectives you have shared.”

To note, throughout the programme, NATO gave insights into its Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre, the Alliance’s principal civil emergency response mechanism for supporting Allies and partners with response and preparedness for natural and human-made disasters and other emergencies.

Following the NATO Headquarters portion, all participants travelled to Mons, where SHAPE’s Partnership Directorate Military Cooperation Division continued the programme, allowing partners the opportunity to engage in more detailed exchanges of the different facets of NATO-partner military and defence cooperation.

Ms Shekerinska will participate in the Lennart Meri Conference, ​visit the NATO DIANA Regional Hub and​​ the military exercise “Hedgehog” (“Siil”)​.

The Deputy Secretary General will also meet the President, Mr Alar Karis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Margus Tsahkna, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Hanno Pevkur.

There will be no media opportunity.

For more information:

For general queries: contact the NATO Press Office

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Opening the working session, the Chair of the Military Committee, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, underscored that the meeting of Allied Chiefs of Defence is a testament to NATO’s enduring unity and strength, and that cohesion among Allied militaries is the bedrock of NATO’s collective defence. The Chair stressed the priorities for the NATO Military Authorities, especially in these challenging times: continue providing unfettered and timely military advice to political leadership, underpinned by collective clarity and decisiveness. The Allied Chiefs of Defence session focus was to discuss further strengthening NATO’S deterrence and defence, in order to continue adapting to the security challenges facing the Alliance. 

During the following session, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) briefed the Chiefs of Defence on NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, and the status quo and way ahead of NATO’s operations, missions, and activities. 

Then, Chiefs of Defence discussed with Admiral Pierre Vandier, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) about NATO’s Defence Planning Process and developments in innovation and the adoption of new systems.

The final session with the Chief of Defence of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Syrskyi (attending via videoconference), focused on the current state of play in Ukraine. Allies reiterated their support to Ukraine, and emphasised why now – more than ever – it is key for NATO to continue to provide Ukraine what is needed for its defence.

Wrapping up a fruitful meeting, CMC farewelled fellow Chiefs of Defence, looking forward to the next meeting in this format later in the year.