For 70 years now, NATO has been Europe’s life insurance. To ensure that it remains so, we need to adapt our alliance to current challenges and assume greater responsibility within Europe for security policy. And we must not forget what it is that has made NATO strong for 70 years: its unshakeable cohesion – across the Atlantic. Yet we also need to develop the concept and policies of NATO further. To this end we need active policy cells – in a process that explores central transatlantic issues. Today, I intend to generate some momentum for this.
In view of the fact that NATO has been under considerable pressure recently, it is particularly good that we are coming together again as foreign ministers today to engage in dialogue. There are dozens of topics on the table, ranging from the future of arms control, through our relations with Russia, up to security in space. On all these issues we need multilateral cooperation and the active involvement of all partners.