NATO: Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda – Secretary General’s remarks

President Duda,

Thank you so very much for this warm welcome.  And it is really an honour and a great pleasure to be in Warsaw at the eve of the very important Summit which is going to take place here tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

The first country I visited after I became Secretary General of NATO was Poland and Warsaw.  Just a few days after I started as Secretary General.  And I’ve been back several times.  But this is my most important visit so far because it is at the eve of a very important Summit for all of us.

And this is a defining moment for our security.

The world is a more dangerous place than just a few years ago.

And NATO is responding with speed and with determination.

We have tripled the size of the NATO Response Force.  We have established new headquarters in the east and further developed key capabilities like Ballistic Missile Defence against threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area.

Tomorrow and on Saturday we will take new major steps to further modernise our collective defence and deterrence and to project stability beyond our borders.

This will include more military presence here in Poland, as well as in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Our presence will be multinational and a clear message that an attack on one Ally is an attack on the whole Alliance.

We will also step up our response to threats from the south. Boost our support for partners. Increase our resilience against hybrid and cyber threats. And take our cooperation with the European Union to an ambitious new level.

So this will be a landmark summit in Warsaw and an important Summit in the history of our Alliance.

And it is fitting that we meet in Warsaw.

A city that knows the pain of conflict and the fundamental value of security.

And a city that embodies the spirit of a proud nation and forward-looking nation.

Poland has overcome a difficult past as it looks to the future.

And since joining NATO seventeen years ago, Poland has become a driving force within our Alliance.

You make important contributions to our operations and exercises. You host key NATO facilities like our Multinational Corps Northeast. You host one of our new headquarters and a site for our Ballistic Missile Defence system.

And you are among the top-performing Allies on defence spending.

So President Duda, Poland is an Ally that leads by example.  I commend you for your dedication to our Alliance.

And I thank you, the people of Poland, and the city of Warsaw for hosting us and the Summit.

Over the coming days, the Warsaw Summit will demonstrate the unity and strength of our Alliance.  And the strength that has characterised the Alliance for almost seventy years.

And the decisions we’ll take will make us stronger and more prepared than ever for the challenges we face.

So once again, thank you so much for hosting me and thank you so much for hosting a landmark Summit.