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The meeting of the 30 heads of state and government of the Atlantic Alliance at their political headquarters in Brussels at the beginning of the week was – in addition to the already fundamental importance of NATO summits for Germany – also remarkable in that it was held for the last time due to the upcoming general election in September took place in this government constellation: with Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel (CDU), Foreign Minister Heiko Maaß (SPD) and Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (also CDU).
After the meeting of the 30 heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Alliance, the German Chancellor stated: “All in all, this was an important NATO summit, which now gives a clear work order for a new strategic concept and which, I think, also has documented a new beginning. “
Lastenteilung
According to Angela Merkel, NATO can only function as an “important and unique alliance” if everyone makes their contribution. For the Federal Republic of Germany, this also includes reaching the two percent target for the proportion of defense spending in gross domestic product (GDP).
After the summit, Foreign Minister Maaß said in an interview with his local Saarbrücker Zeitung on this subject: “Germany stands by the agreements made. Ultimately, our aim is to make NATO future-proof. Germany has increased its defense spending by around 50 percent since 2014. The aim is to better equip our soldiers and not to arm them. “
Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer also emphasized in the run-up to the summit: “For us it is very important that we strengthen our ability to act together, for example with more joint resources.”
“NATO 2030”
The representatives of the member states of the alliance expressly agreed to the proposals made by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the “NATO 2030” agenda. In future, more attention should be paid to the subjects of “consultations” and “solidarity” as well as closer cooperation with partner countries and organizations such as the European Union.
At their last meeting in London in December 2019, Allianz’s heads of state and government initiated this so-called “reflection process” on a German initiative. In the past few months, a group of experts led by the former Minister of the Interior and Defense, Dr. Thomas de Maizière worked out recommendations for possible reforms of NATO, which have now been the basis for discussion.
Threats
While US President Joe Biden never tired of pointing out the threats to the Western world from both the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China in the various summit formats this week, the German Chancellor pleaded after the alliance discussions that the NATO is developing a dual approach of military deterrence and diplomatic dialogue with both adversaries. “I am a big advocate of the two-pillar approach,” she said in the Belgian capital. “China is a rival on many issues, but China is also a partner on many issues,” said the Chancellor. Therefore, a “balance” must be found between security and trade interests.
After the summit, Foreign Minister Maaß told the Saarbrücker Zeitung: “Of course, I am very concerned about the current developments in Russia and also on Russia’s borders. In this respect, the core tasks of NATO as a defense alliance remain important, and we owe that to our European allies and partners. Regardless of that, we have to keep in dialogue with Russia. “
Regarding the “Middle Kingdom”, the head of the Foreign Office said: “Our relationship with China is defined in the triad: partner, competitor and systemic rival. Unfortunately, we find that the rivalry – due to the behavior of China – is becoming more and more important. And we have to react to that! “
But climate change is also increasingly perceived as a security and defense policy problem. For example, Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized several times in the run-up to the NATO summit: “We have to set up our armed forces in such a way that they remain resilient and capable of reacting to the consequences of climate change.”
“Quad” Defense Ministers’ Meeting
One day after the NATO summit, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin invited his counterparts from Germany, France and Great Britain to a “quad breakfast” in Brussels. At this working meeting, Austin, together with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and her French colleague Florence Parly, followed up the meeting of the NATO heads of state and government. For the first time since 2014, the heads of department met again in this round.
“You could feel that there was a very good atmosphere, like at the NATO summit,” said Kramp-Karrenbauer after the meeting. The four talked about the common challenges facing Russia, China and Afghanistan. “We have a strong community and will continue to tackle the challenges together in the future,” said the German Defense Minister confidently.
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