Category: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Mr Rutte welcomed the fact that Greece invests 3 percent of its GDP in defence saying it had “long made security a priority”. He also commended the country for its “highly skilled military and increasingly advanced capabilities” and its efforts to modernise them further.

The Secretary General thanked Greece for its support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia aggression. Just last month, Athens signed a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv and announced it will accelerate F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians “strengthening their hand in this brutal war”. “Our support for Ukraine has kept them in the fight, but we need to go further to change the trajectory of this conflict,” the Secretary General added.

Mr Rutte underlined that Russia’s use of North Korean weapons and troops, Iranian drones and Chinese dual-use goods contributed to an “increasingly dangerous” security environment and represented a “challenge to global peace and security”.

During his visit to Athens the Secretary General also met the Greek Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Dendias and Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis.

The Secretary General underlined the NPA’s crucial role in strengthening NATO’s defences, supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and addressing global challenges to Euro-Atlantic security, including through cooperation with partners. 

Mr Rutte reiterated NATO’s commitment to strengthening deterrence and defence in a more dangerous and competitive world. “Allies are spending more on defence,” he said, adding that “we must make our deterrence and defence even stronger. The more we spend on defence, the more we reduce the risk of future conflict”. He urged lawmakers to support this investment, highlighting that “we have a duty to ensure we protect our nations, people and values, and security does not come for free”.

Rutte’s acting Deputy, Boris Ruge, was in Montreal for the meeting and answered questions from parliamentarians during their plenary session. He underscored the importance of continuing the support that NATO and Allies are providing to Ukraine, the urgency of increased defence spending as well as the vital role the members of the NPA play in terms of making the case for stronger deterrence and defence.

During his visit to Canada, Mr Ruge also ​participated in the 16th Annual Halifax International Security Forum, where he addressed the importance of maintaining a strong transatlantic bond and the urgency of ramping up defence industrial production. He held bilateral meetings with a range of interlocutors, notably the Speaker of Ukraine’s parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Members of the US Congress.

Commandants and Education Directors of the five main military defence education institutions, namely War and Staff Colleges, the Military Academy, the Naval Academy and the Aviation School, briefed their NATO counterparts on the progress made to date, including the launch of an ePortal project introducing ILIAS as Learning Management System (LMS) for online learning in all Tunisian professional military education institutions. 

DEEP eAcademy is preparing system administrators, instructors and content creators of the Tunisian military professional education institutions for the future integration of the ePortal into the Armed Forces’ educational programmes.  With continued NATO experts’ support in faculty and curriculum development Tunisia continues to modernise and professionalise its entire military educational system. 

Through its Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITTP), Tunisia is also enhancing its role as regional capacity-building hub and contributes to regional stability by including about 20 percent cadets from central African countries in their programmes and by deploying Tunisian experts on defence education faculty development to Mauritania.

The Secretary General praised Türkiye for its commitment to the Alliance’s collective security. He highlighted that Türkiye has the second-largest army in NATO and spends over 2% of GDP on defence.

Mr. Rutte also congratulated Türkiye for successfully concluding its command of NATO’s KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, stating that “your consistent contribution of troops is crucial in maintaining a safe and secure environment for all in Kosovo.” 

The Secretary General and President Erdogan addressed Russia’s war in Ukraine. Mr. Rutte commended Türkiye for its firm support of Ukraine’s defence industry with the ammunition, artillery and aid it needs, also by playing a key role in initiatives like the Black Sea Grain Deal and other diplomatic efforts. 

In his meetings with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan and Minister of National Defence Yaşar Güler, the Secretary General addressed a range of issues, including Türkiye’s contributions to NATO security, defence industrial cooperation, the situation in the Middle East, terrorism, and Allied support for Ukraine.

Mr. Rutte thanked Türkiye for the major role it plays in the fight against terrorism, including in NATO’s mission in Iraq. The Secretary General reiterated his solidarity with Türkiye and expressed his condolences regarding the terrorist attack on the facilities of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI-TUSAS) in Ankara on 23 October. “We strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms” said Mr. Rutte.

During his official stay in Ankara, Mr. Rutte also paid a visit to the Mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a memorial site dedicated to honouring the legacy and contributions of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Turkish Republic.

Mr Rutte will meet with the Prime Minister, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Giorgos Gerapetritis, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Nikolaos Dendias.

Media advisory

11:15 (CET)  Joint press statements by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Greece.

Media coverage

The Secretary General’s press statements with the Prime Minister will be streamed live on the NATO website, and broadcast live on EBU News Exchange.

A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be available 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

Mr Rutte will meet with the President, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hakan Fidan, and the Minister of Defence, Mr Yaşar Güler.

The Secretary General will engage with representatives from the Turkish defence industry and visit the facilities of the Turkish Airspace Industries (TUSAŞ). He will also lay a wreath at Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s Mausoleum.

There will be no media opportunity.

Photographs, 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

Much of this comes down to logistics, and getting these right is key to ensuring the Alliance can effectively move, deploy, sustain and reinforce its armed forces. This is fundamental in all military operations and ensures NATO can execute its core tasks across all domains. Allied forces must continue to be fully enabled with all the logistics necessary to deter aggression against – and, if needed, to defend – all of NATO territory.

In the meeting this week, national logistics directors addressed a range of challenges and shared lessons learned and best practices in moving troops into, across and from Europe, including in the context of Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024. Held earlier this year, this was NATO’s largest exercise in decades, with over 90,000 troops from all 32 Allies participating. The exercise tested NATO’s logistics network from the Arctic to the Alliance’s southern flank, including the deployment of large-scale reinforcements from North America to Europe. The Logistics Committee identified opportunities and challenges associated with large-scale deployments, and the importance of working with civil agencies and industry to deliver critical support to military forces at scale and speed. The Committee also met in a dedicated session with partners to discuss these issues.

National logistics directors also met in a joint session with two other senior NATO committees: the Resilience Committee and the Defence Policy and Planning Committee. These consultations focused on the delivery of the logistics and enablement capabilities required for collective defence from both military and civilian perspectives. Allies emphasised the importance of adopting a whole-of-government approach to logistics.

Upon its arrival, the Military Committee was welcomed by Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Christopher G. Cavoli, who expressed his appreciation for the Military Committee’s continued support for transitioning SHAPE into a warfighting headquarters. He stipulated that NATO and national defence plans are more and more intertwined and mutually supportive. General Cavoli stated that across the Alliance there is ever-growing unity of military action.

The opening statements were followed by a briefing from SHAPE officials about the strategic implications of the Concept for the Defence and Deterrence of the Euro Atlantic Area (DDA). This strategy, together with its subordinate ‘DDA Family of Plans’ optimises NATO’s ability to collectively defend and deter against two threats: Russia and the Terror Groups. True to its motto “vigilance is the price of liberty”, SHAPE is making sure all Alliance military operations are optimised for collective defence. Admiral Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee stated: “The fundamental difference between crisis management and collective defence is this: it is not we, but our adversary who determines the timeline. We have to prepare for the fact that conflict can present itself at any time.”

The last session of the day focused on NATO efforts to update its command and control. SHAPE continues to streamline its command process to operate as NATO’s strategic warfighting headquarters. The ongoing changes will allow it to incorporate all the tools of the Alliance to deter, and if needed, defeat any adversaries, for 24 hours a day in continuous and contested environments.

Overall, the visit enabled the NATO Military Committee to closely interface with SHAPE officials on operational and strategic military developments in the Alliance. Following the Washington Summit, NATO has reiterated its ironclad commitment to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defence by reinforcing and modernising NATO for a new era of collective defence.

The experts came together to share views and experiences on disaster management and crisis response and how to mitigate risks stemming from such events, including through the use of digital and satellite technologies. Among their key findings is the important role played by defence forces to protect social, economic, and industrial systems, and critical infrastructure.

The event is one of many that NATO convenes through its Science for Peace and Security Programme (SPS). “This event demonstrates NATO’s increased level of ambition in its cooperation with partners in our southern neighbourhood, within the framework of SPS. These activities contribute to building long-term practical cooperation on challenges that know no borders through dialogue and knowledge exchange,” noted Dr. Claudio Palestini, Head of the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme.

Kais Abu Dayyeh, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Italy, highlighted how the event “reflects the depth of the strategic partnership between the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and NATO, which has developed over three decades under the NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue.” He added that Jordan enjoys an “Enhanced Partnership status with NATO,” which is going to be further bolstered by the establishment of a NATO Liaison Office in Amman.

The event, entitled “Climate Change and Natural Hazards in the Euro-Mediterranean region: Security Implications and Crisis Management,” was organised by the Italian Med-Or Foundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, with support from the NATO Science for Peace and Security Programme.