Minister meets NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General: Germany stands firmly by its Allies

On 17 January, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht hosted a dinner for her first international guest, NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, at the Federal Ministry of Defence. Topics on the agenda included Russia and the new Strategic Concept for NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Minister Lambrecht underlined the importance of the transatlantic alliance for Germany: “Germany was a front state during the Cold War and benefited directly from the security provided by NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization. The Bundeswehr is an Alliance army.” She went on to say that the Bundeswehr stood firmly by the side of its Allies and was taking on responsibility, in particular in the context of the NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization Response Force and next year in NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s VJTFVery High Readiness Joint Task Force spearhead force.

Credible deterrence and dialogue

In reference to recent movements of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border and Russian demands on NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization to guarantee no further expansion to the east, the Minister said: “There are no ifs or buts: the Russian build-up at Ukraine’s border violates all rules of peaceful coexistence. We have not forgotten that Russia is the aggressor. Moscow has no right to veto the free decisions of its neighbours. This remains a key principle of European security. We for our part will continue to pursue a dual-track approach of credible deterrence and substantial dialogue.” The Minister welcomed the resumption of dialogue in the NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization-Russia Council last week. She said, however, that this could only have been a first step.

Considering EUEuropean Union and NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization together

According to Minister Lambrecht, it was particularly important to take into account the EUEuropean Union as work was proceeding on the new Strategic Concept of NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization. As far as German security interests were concerned, NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization and the EUEuropean Union were two sides of the same coin, she said.

NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization Allies are still in the discussion phase of the update of NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Strategic Concept. From April onwards, the outcomes of these debates will be consolidated in a first draft. During their meeting in Brest the week before, EUEuropean Union Defence and Foreign Ministers had consulted on an updated draft of their Strategic Compass. This joint policy document on security is scheduled to be adopted in March 2022.

Germany’s commitment sends a clear message

NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Minister Lambrecht for her clear commitment to NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization. He commended German servicemen and women for their impressive professionalism and readiness in NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization’s collective defence missions. He went on to say how important it was to see strong signs of solidarity in the Alliance, especially in these difficult times, faced with the Russian military build-up at the border of Ukraine. He added that NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization would also continue its dual-track approach of deterrence and dialogue with Russia. This dialogue would continue in follow-up meetings of the NATONorth Atlantic Treaty Organization-Russia Council.