Foreign Ministers gathered at NATO headquarters in Brussels for a two-day meeting to mark NATO’s 75th anniversary and to prepare for the upcoming Washington Summit in July. This was also the first meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers with Sweden participating as a full member.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg underscored that the Alliance was founded “on a single, solemn promise: an attack on one Ally is an attack on all.”
Foreign Ministers discussed the findings of the review conducted by an independent Group of Experts on NATO’s approach on its southern neighbourhood. The review highlights the linkage between the security of NATO’s southern neighbourhoods – North Africa, the Middle East, the Sahel region and adjacent regions – and that of NATO Allies. It also underscores that deep-rooted localized challenges are now exacerbated by global strategic competition and threat-multipliers, such as climate change.
The Group of Experts pointed out that NATO should continue to adopt a comprehensive approach based on dialogue, outreach and practical cooperation with international and regional organisations and partner countries; NATO should focus its efforts particularly on areas such as counter-terrorism, maritime security, resilience, climate security, Women, Peace and Security and human security. It should invest further in training and building partners’ capacity to manage complex security challenges within their neighbourhoods. At the Washington Summit in July, NATO Heads of State and Government will consider concrete proposals informed by the review’s findings.
The NATO-Ukraine Council met at the level of Foreign Ministers, joined by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. NATO Foreign Ministers also met with their Indo-Pacific partners and the European Union, to discuss the global implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine, including support for Moscow from China, North Korea and Iran. Together, ministers discussed how to enhance cooperation in responding to cyber and hybrid threats, as well as new technologies and defence industrial production.
“The Ukrainians are not running out of courage, they are running out of ammunition,” said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after the meeting. He added: “in our meeting today, we discussed how to put our support on a firmer and more enduring basis for the future. All Allies agree on the need to support Ukraine in this critical moment. There is a unity of purpose. Today, Allies have agreed to move forward with planning for a greater NATO role in coordinating security assistance and training. The details will take shape in the weeks to come, but make no mistake: Ukraine can rely on NATO support now, and for a long haul.”