Jens, you once described how, as a teenager, you came down the stairs of your parents’ house, hearing unfamiliar voices.

And as you entered the room, sitting at your kitchen table was -- Nelson Mandela.

Because your father, as Foreign Minister and as Minister of Defence, often invited politicians to your home.

He would serve them black coffee, Norwegian mackerel, and bread from the bakery round the corner.

The Norwegian protocol was sometimes shocked at these down-to-earth breakfast meetings.

Because he knew: his “kitchen table diplomacy”, the warm and polite way he engaged people, was a way to build trust.

The most valuable currency in international politics.

And this approach has also shaped your work your work as Prime Minister, as a politician, and especially as NATO Secretary General.

For you, it was always about what was at stake. But never about yourself.

Trust, persistence.

Firm on the issues, friendly in tone.

That was and is your style.

And always with a very human touch to it all.

I remember when you received the Medal of Freedom from President Biden in July, and Boris [Pistorius] and I were sitting next to each other in a room filled with security personnel and government officials.

And you received this medal. With a big smile on your face. And the minister of defence and I - and many more - could see how touched you were.

The person Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General, the former Prime Minister, but also the son and now a father himself. Knowing that the future depends on us.

And when we see your security personnel coming to Berlin, so many motorbikes and cars around you, maybe one of the most protected people in Europe, but with such a down-to-earth, human appearance. This is what makes you really special. And it's quite rare in these times.

I believe one of the things the Russian President underestimated was that we do not only think security in terms of deterrence and hard defence politics, but also in terms of soft power.

We remember very well that 24 February of 2022 was not only an attack on Ukraine; it was a test of our solidarity, our friendship and trust. But we resisted.

Also thanks to you and the spirit of NATO: One for all and all for one.

Yesterday, we celebrated 25 years of the Nordic embassies here in Berlin. And we watched a movie which said: We, as Nordics, we believe that sometimes soft power is the true superpower.

And Jens, we have needed your superpower in the last years, not only since the 24th of February, but also in the ten years before.

Your leadership during Afghanistan, your leadership after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea, and definitely your leadership since 24 February of 2022.

Because when Vladimir Putin launched his brutal war, his bet was that that NATO would break.

But we proved him wrong. You proved him wrong.

Because he underestimated what “one for all and all for one” means. Standing up for the values of NATO formulated in our documents: peace, liberty, democracy - not only for us, but also for our children.

We proved him wrong.

Because he underestimated what “one for all and all for one” means.

And this is why you worked hard for all of us to make NATO even stronger, more united than before.

How persistently you worked to bring Sweden and Finland into NATO. How you helped strengthen our relations with the Global South.

How you found new ways of bringing NATO and the EU together – with informal meetings that we started in Berlin, retaining a bit of the “kitchen table diplomacy” you grew up with.

You redefined the role of NATO Secretary General.

And you once said: “We have to be willing to pay the price for peace.”

And the truth is: in the past, my country did not listen closely enough to this advice.

But, and this is important: we learned our lesson.

Also thanks to you.

I remember how we were discussing NATO’s presence in the East of our Alliance after Russia’s attack.

There were critical voices, also here in Berlin. But you helped to convince them. We are now proud, as the Minister has mentioned, that we are sending a full brigade to Lithuania.

And we are finally spending more than 2% of our budget on defence. We discussed intensely that it's not only about numbers and GDP; it's also about capabilities. And we are investing in these capabilities.

And we will continue to support Ukraine. You underlined from the beginning that this is hybrid warfare. And this is why our national security strategy does not only look at the military side, but also at integrated security.

You, too, were the one who brought up climate change and who introduced the question of gender and security to NATO discussions.

And when we prepared the Vilnius Communique for July 2023, also with informal talks and “kitchen table diplomacy”, you were the one who made sure we sent a clear message in the Communique:

“Ukraine’s future is in NATO.”

Jens, when you received a call from Angela Merkel ten years ago, asking if you could imagine taking the job as NATO Secretary General, you asked your father for advice – as you always did when faced with tough decisions.

And he said, “Well, not so much happens at NATO.”

By the way, my father told me, when I started as Foreign Minister: Don't dare to become a NATO hawk.

Well, sometimes it's good not to always listen to your parents, but only once in a while. Today, my daughters and many, many daughters and sons around Europe are saying: We are thankful that we are members of NATO. One for all and all for one.

And we are saying: Thanks that you took the job ten years ago. I'm glad we could convince you not to take another job you very much wanted to take - but you stayed on because we really needed you after this attack by Putin.

Jens, I am going to miss your persistence, your empathy and your cool-headedness.

But, speaking about daughters, I know that you missed out on a lot of concerts of your daughter Catharina.

I am really happy that you will have more time to attend her shows.

At least until your job in Munich starts.

From the bottom of my heart: Thank you for your work.

Thank you for your contribution to security and freedom in Europe, and to a strong transatlantic alliance!

Thank you for your friendship.

Thank you for making us live the NATO promise: One for all, and all for one.