Meeting of the &nbsp;Committee on Foreign Affairs&nbsp;in the EP in Brussels. Extracts of the address by Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General on NATO priorities for 2016 and the July 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw and questions by Anna Elżbieta FOTYGA (ECR, PL) and&nbsp;Michael GAHLER (EPP, DE).

Brussels

meeting

GAHLER, Michael (EPP, DE)

migration and refugees in Europe (T)

speech

FOTYGA, Anna (ECR, PL)

fight against trafficking in human beings (T)

EU - NATO (T)

STOLTENBERG, Jens (NO)

Address by Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, on NATO priorities for 2016 and the July 2016 NATO Summit in Warsaw: extracts of the meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, <p>We live in an age of instability with complex and interconnected challenges. We face a more assertive Russia which is destabilising the European security order,and we face extremism and violence across the Middle East and North Africa, fuelling the worst refugee and migrant crisis since World War II.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, our response is built on three pillars; the need for more strength, the need for more dialogue, the need to invest more in prevention through our partners. For each of these pillars, a strong relationship between the EU and NATO is essential.

<p>SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, NATO is implementing the biggest increase of our collective defense since the Cold War. Not to wage war, but to prevent war. To send a clear signal that an attack on any NATO ally will be met by forces from across the whole alliance, including from North America.</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, in 2014 , NATO leaders agreed to stop cuts in defense spending. And to increase spending to at least 2% of GDP over the next decade.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, we continue to strive for a more constructive and more cooperative relationship with Russia. We want dialogue because dialogue can increase predictability and transparency.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, in the south, our partnerships extend across the Middle East, and North Africa. We are supporting the defence capacity of Jordan, next month we will start to train Iraqi officers, we're also working with Tunisia on special forces and intelligence and we stand ready to support Libya if requested by the National Unity Government.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, I welcome the agreement reached yesterday, on the cessation of hostilities in Syria. NATO supports all efforst to reach a negotiated end to thsi terrible conflict, and to set the conditions for a peaceful political transition.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, two weeks ago, NATO defence minister decide that NATO will join in international efforts to deal with the refugee and migrant crisis. NATO's standing martime group was immediately deployed to the Aegean. Our ships will provide information to help NATO allies Greece and Turkey as well as Frontex. Supporting them in their efforts to cut the lines of illegal trafficking and illegal migration.

SOUNDBITE (English), Anna El&#380;bieta FOTYGA (ECR, PL), Chair Subcommittee on Security and Defence, During this conference (the Munich Security Conference) we have been able to listen to extremely harsh Russian speeches, both Prime Minister Medvedev and Minister Lavrov's speeches. What actions do you envisage to change this language of dialogue in our Eastern flank?

SOUNDBITE (English), Michael GAHLER (EPP, DE), MEP 5 - 8th parliamentary terms, In Munich you also offered a NATO-Russia Council being convened again. Neither Medvedev nor Lavrov reacted to that. Since Munich, has anything come your way along those lines?

SOUNDBITE (English), Jens STOLTENBERG, NATO Secretary General, what NATO did in the spring of 2014 after the illegal annexation of Crimea was to suspend practical cooperation, but we decided to keep channels for political dialogue open, because actually, when tensions are high, when the times are difficult as they are now, then it's actually more important to have channels for political dialogue, to try to avoid the situation from escalating, and to try to provide as much predictability and transparency as possible.