NATO Secretary General Praises France As ‘Champion Of Multilateralism”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised France for its important contributions to collective security and for its role as a champion of multilateralism. Mr Stoltenberg started a two-day visit to Paris on Monday by meeting the French minister for the armed forces Florence Parly. They discussed NATO’s continued adaptation to face current security challenges, as part of preparations for the Alliance Brussels Summit in July.
Addressing a conference organised by the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique and the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Secretary General highlighted France’s participation in the NATO battlegroup in Lithuania and in the Baltic Air Policing mission, as well as France’s leading role in the fight against terrorism, including in the Sahel and Levant. He praised France for its investments in defence, with a clear commitment to reach 2% by 2025. “France is champion of multilateralism. And, at a crucial time for multilateralism, I count on France to help strengthen multilateral institutions like NATO,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
Together with Minister Parly and the North Atlantic Council, the Secretary General met the President of the French National Assembly François de Rugy to kick off the first Conference on the Cyber Defence Pledge.
On Tuesday (15 May 2018), the Secretary General will meet President Emmanuel Macron.