Secretary General marks 60 years of Germany’s NATO membership

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Berlin on Tuesday (30 June 2015) to commemorate Germany’s 60th year of NATO membership. Addressing an audience at the German Foreign Ministry including Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, the Secretary General said that Germany’s accession to the Alliance cemented the nation’s role as “an anchor of stability at the centre of NATO”.

To mark the anniversary, Mr Stoltenberg presented Foreign Minister Steinmeier with a commemorative book produced by the NATO Archives, as well as a set of sketches by the American artist Manuel Bromberg, showing West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer being welcomed to his first NATO ministerial meeting in Paris, as well as other important moments of this historic process.

“The stories of Germany and of NATO are forever linked, and they are stories of success,” the Secretary General said. “Germany and the Alliance need each other: to defend our values, to keep our nations safe, and to protect peace in Europe and the world.”

The Secretary General’s agenda in Berlin also includes talks with Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.

Source: NATO

By

L. J. De Rothschild

Senior Editor

NATO Section

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