This week in Berlin, it is not just here in the Federal Foreign Office that important discussions are being held on foreign and security policy. Yesterday, I spoke during the budget debate in the German Bundestag where our consultations on what we call individual plan 5 of our budget began.

It will come as no surprise to you that politicians fight the hardest not about content but about the finances that make the content possible. Currently, our biggest investments are being made in defence. And rightly so. However, it is no less right that good foreign policy is the best security policy. And for that we need financial support. That is what I am strongly advocating in the Federal Government, in parliament and in the public sphere! It is our foreign policy that makes Germany safe, whether at home or abroad.

This is all the more true after Leipzig. What happened there brought the threat we are facing home to us. This threat is palpable. Russia’s attempted attack at Leipzig airport is, however, only the most recent incident in a chain of ever increasing Russian aggression against Europe, against NATO.

Russia and its partners are acting as a global network against our interests and to promote their own imperialist aspirations of power. The Federal Government and we as part of that Government are countering this.

You, our Heads of Mission, are doing this in very concrete fashion with your work in our embassies and consulates around the world. And you are doing so in service of a state that, in terms of security policy, is undergoing fundamental change.

Just over 70 years after Germany was admitted to NATO, we have become one of the leading nations in the Alliance. This year, Germany is investing 124.7 billion euro in “hard” defence capabilities – a figure expected to amount to some 2.7 percent of our GDP. By 2029, it is expected to make up at least 3.5 percent – when the figure will probably exceed 150 billion euro. Investment in defence-related infrastructure comes on top. Here we have already reached the 1.5 percent mark.

These figures are a reflection of our political priorities which are emerging from a changed security environment. We are leading the field here and expect our partners in NATO to follow suit. We are thereby investing in the future of Euro-Atlantic security, in the European pillar of NATO and thus in the strengthening of NATO as a whole. Our allies know this.

Let me tell you, I do not encounter scepticism about our investment in the military on my travels but in fact gratitude and trust. As well as growing expectations paired with the desire for more cooperation. And that is also something that I would like you to do as Heads of Mission: help us strengthen the cooperation with our partners in your host countries.

We are strengthening the European pillar in NATO because this strengthens the Alliance as a whole – and our transatlantic ties. And we need these to this day. Particularly at a time when NATO is facing nothing less than a political stress test. From the outside by the threat posed by Russia. But also from the inside when transatlantic cohesion is called into question. And in concrete terms by those in our country who have a vested interest in doing so. Those who have been following the three campaigns for the Landtag elections in late summer have seen this unfold.

However, esteemed colleagues, questions on NATO, on our cohesion, are also being asked more and more often abroad. The world is watching us, watching what we are doing on security policy and whether we can prove ourselves at this time of geopolitical tension. Watching us as NATO but also watching what happens with Ukraine. There, people are fighting for a free and secure country in a free and secure Europe.

I was in Kharkiv recently, about 30 kilometres from the front line, and was able to see for myself what was going on. What did I see? Today, Ukraine is a strong, resilient and united country following a path to the European Union. It is paying a horrendous price for doing so. Every day. Every night. A Ukrainian Brigadier-General told me that every anti-aircraft missile we provide in support of Ukraine is a chance to draw breath. These are words that stay with me.

Also because of these personal experiences, I feel committed to ensuring that Germany continues to stand at Ukraine’s side now as the country’s largest bilateral supporter. We are doing this for Ukraine, but we are also doing this for our security in Europe. That is why you, our Heads of Mission, are rallying for more support for Ukraine in your host countries.

Mark, you are the first NATO Secretary General at a Federal Foreign Office Ambassadors Conference. I take this as a sign of our mutual appreciation. At the Summit in Ankara, you said yourself, “The Alliance is stronger than ever, an Alliance that is united and ready to defend every inch of our territory”. It is also you we need to thank for bringing us to this point.

You lead the Alliance with circumspection, with diplomatic skill and with an air of confidence that is infectious. We can all learn a lot from you and your approach as an optimist who rolls up their sleeves.

Thank you for being with us today!

Mark, the floor is yours.