Iltalehti shows Jens Stoltenberg’s farewell speech live.
Jens Stoltenberg gave his farewell speech as Secretary General of NATO. Petteri Plasma
The outgoing Secretary General of Defense Alliance NATO Jens Stoltenberg gave his farewell speech on Thursday in Germany.
In his farewell speech, Stoltenberg, 65, recalled his time in NATO leadership. In his speech, the Norwegian reminded that the world has changed dramatically from 2014 to today.
– When I was asked more than ten years ago to be the Secretary General of NATO, I asked my father for advice. He said that almost nothing happens in NATO. How wrong the father was, Stoltenberg made the audience laugh.
Putin must be made to understand the price of war
In ten years, the world has seen numerous global crises and conflicts in which NATO has also been involved.
In addition to the conflicts in the Middle East, Russia’s disruptive military behavior in Ukraine, which started already in 2014, escalated into a war in 2022.
Stoltenberg demands that NATO countries continue to help Ukraine. More military aid should be given.
– That’s the only way we can get it Vladimir Putin to understand that he won’t get what he wants.
According to Stoltenberg, Putin does not recognize the right of Ukraine as an independent state.
– I don’t think Putin will change his opinion about Ukraine. We can hardly change that. But we can change his calculations about whether he can conquer the country, says Stoltenberg.
By supporting Ukraine militarily, it is possible to end the war on terms that Ukrainians can accept. By letting Russia win, Europe would expose itself to danger.
Five points
Stoltenberg structured his farewell speech into five points, which NATO should internalize and follow in the future.
– We must be ready to pay for peace. The more money we spend on defense, the safer we are. Secondly: freedom is more important than free trade. Russia took advantage of Western countries’ dependence on its energy resources for its own purposes. We must be careful that the same does not happen with China.
The third point was a reminder that military strength is the backbone of dialogue. Russia does not respect platitudes, force must be met with force.
Despite this, Stoltenberg reminded in his fourth directive that even military force has its limits.
The fifth directive recalled NATO’s role on both sides of the North Atlantic.
– We must never take cooperation between Europe and North America for granted. Europe and the USA are stronger and safer together.
Stoltenberg’s successor is Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
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