In 2014 at the NATO Wales Summit,Sweden and four other NATO partners were granted enhanced status.They were offered a more flexible and individualised relationship with the Alliance,over and beyond other partnership formats.This took place in the context of Russia illegally annexing Crimea and intervening in Eastern Ukraine.
According to Sweden's Ambassador to NATO,Hakan Malmqvist,writing in The NATO Review magazine:
The developments in 2014 brought defence and security planning back to the top of the political agenda.The deteriorating security environment and the need for NATO to focus on collective defence and the defence of Europe,underlined our mutual interest of working even closer together.The need to view the Baltic Sea as one strategic area became a natural driving force for our strategic cooperation.*
At the NATO Warsaw Summit of 2016,NATO emphasised the need to develop regular political consultations,shared situational awareness and joint exercises with Finland and Sweden.*
Our common challenges are greater and more complex than in decades.Regional powers and non-state actors are testing their strength against neighbours,other states,and international institutions.The threats are manifold and more complex.*
This year (2017),the Swedish government decided to reactivate the national conscription system.Conscription for both men and women will start from the 1st of January 2018 and the plan is to enlist/enroll approximately 4,000 recruits the first year.*
In 2016,the government of Sweden adopted a "Memorandum of Understanding on Host Nation Support."This MoU with NATO is to ensure that Sweden,as a host nation,can provide effective support for military activities on Swedish territory in connection with exercises,crises or military operations in Sweden and in our vicinity.*
The positive assessment of our first years as an EOP has now resulted in an extension of this status for another 3 years.I am convinced that we can continue to develop our cooperation further.While based on mutual interests and shared values,we must take into account political and military restrictions distinguishing partner and Allied nations.We are eager to consult with the Allies and NATO officials on possible next steps and priorities.
Showing posts with label Warsaw Summit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warsaw Summit. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
The NATO Foreign Ministerial:Policy and Strategy for Europe and Beyond
The NATO Foreign Ministers meeting runs from 19-20 May in Brussels.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a Pre-Ministerial news conference on Wednesday,outlining the topics to be discussed and the direction NATO policy on them is taking,and some strategic concepts for its implementation as well.*
Tomorrow we will welcome Montenegro Foreign Minister Dukanovic to sign the Accession Protocol,Mr.Stoltenberg announced in his prepared statement.Following that ceremony,Montenegro will,as of tomorrow,participate in all NATO meetings as an observer,or Invitee.Once all the Allies have ratified the Protocol,Montenegro will become the 29th member of the Alliance.A clear sign that NATO continues to help build stability and security in the Western Balkans.*
We will discuss what NATO can do to support Iraq.We are already training several hundred Iraqi officers in Jordan.We have received a request from Prime Minister al-Abadi to expand our training mission to Iraq itself.And we will consider that request from Prime Minister al-Abadi.*
We have already decided to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance.Our military planners have put forward proposals for several battalions in different countries in the region.No decision has been taken on the numbers and locations.But we are now considering the scale and the scope of our presence in the east.*
Our Ministerial meeting will begin exactly fifty days before we meet at our Summit in Warsaw.The decisions we take at this Ministerial meeting will help pave the way to the Summit.At the Summit,we will take the necessary decisions to protect our citizens at home and to project stability beyond our borders.*
Tomorrow is an historic day for the Alliance,for Montenegro and for the Western Balkans,Mr.Stoltenberg said in the Q&A session with reporters.It says that NATO's door is open.It's another step in the successful policy of enlargement of both NATO and the EU,and the enlargement of NATO over many years has contributed to stability,peace and security in Europe.And now Montenegro is going to be part of that.Any sanctions or reactions from Russia will be absolutely unjustified,because it's about respecting the sovereign decision of a sovereign nation,Montenegro,to decide on its own path-and that should be respected by everyone.*
NATO is not contemplating combat operations in Libya,but institution-building.We will continue to discuss how we can help them.*
Some of the proposals from our strategic commanders are for battalions in the Baltic countries.It has to be a multinational presence because it sends a very clear signal that an attack on one Ally will be an attack on the whole Alliance.The importance of this forward presence is not that it's going to be so very big,but that it is a multinational presence sending a very clear signal that we are going to stand united;and the forward presence has to be combined with the increased ability to reinforce if needed,so you have to also understand that the forward presence is linked to the high readiness,the higher responsiveness of our forces,and we have already decided to triple the size of the NATO Response Force-and part of that is the new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),or the Spearhead Force,a brigade-sized force which can deploy on a very short notice.Add to that that we are already investing in infrastructure;in prepositioning equipment;ammunition;and that the US is in the process of quadrupling its funding for the US presence in Europe:so this is a big thing altogether-a forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance is just one element in a more comprehensive approach.*
We will decide on the future of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan beyond 2016,and will also decide on the funding for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.I think that NATO Allies providing funding is extremely important and we will continue to do so.*
I strongly believe that the Summit of NATO in July will recognise the progress that Georgia is making and will reiterate our strong commitment to provide both strong political support to Georgia;but also to provide practical support,working with Georgia to implement reforms,build institutions and to enhance Georgia's ability to modernise its armed forces.So we will continue to work with Georgia;we will continue to defend Georgia's right to make its own decisions;and we continue to work on reforms and help Georgia moving towards NATO membership.*
I have to tell you about the Minsk Agreement on Eastern Ukraine that of course I am concerned,because after we saw a lull in the fighting last year and the beginning of this year-I think the ceasefire was mostly respected-we have seen gradually an increase in the numbers of violations of the ceasefire,and that is undermining the whole Minsk Agreement because it is based on the ceasefire.So my message is,the ceasefire has to be respected;heavy weapons have to be withdrawn;and the international observers have to have full access to the area so they make sure that the Minsk Agreement is fully implemented.*
I'm really looking forward to the opening of a new NATO Training Centre in Kuwait and I visited the site of the facility.It's a big,big building where we're going to have different kinds of training,capacity-building activities for the region.And I think that's just one example of how we are increasing our cooperaton with the Gulf countries.*
In Turkey,we have positioned Patriot Missile batteries;AWACS aircraft;port visits by NATO ships.NATO member countries have bilateral agreements with Turkey to fly out of Incerlik Air Base.This is a very joint effort of NATO Allies and Turkey in the fight against ISIL and also providing the necessary assurance measures for Turkey,all at the same time,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out to journalists in Brussels,Belgium.
Tomorrow we will welcome Montenegro Foreign Minister Dukanovic to sign the Accession Protocol,Mr.Stoltenberg announced in his prepared statement.Following that ceremony,Montenegro will,as of tomorrow,participate in all NATO meetings as an observer,or Invitee.Once all the Allies have ratified the Protocol,Montenegro will become the 29th member of the Alliance.A clear sign that NATO continues to help build stability and security in the Western Balkans.*
We will discuss what NATO can do to support Iraq.We are already training several hundred Iraqi officers in Jordan.We have received a request from Prime Minister al-Abadi to expand our training mission to Iraq itself.And we will consider that request from Prime Minister al-Abadi.*
We have already decided to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance.Our military planners have put forward proposals for several battalions in different countries in the region.No decision has been taken on the numbers and locations.But we are now considering the scale and the scope of our presence in the east.*
Our Ministerial meeting will begin exactly fifty days before we meet at our Summit in Warsaw.The decisions we take at this Ministerial meeting will help pave the way to the Summit.At the Summit,we will take the necessary decisions to protect our citizens at home and to project stability beyond our borders.*
Tomorrow is an historic day for the Alliance,for Montenegro and for the Western Balkans,Mr.Stoltenberg said in the Q&A session with reporters.It says that NATO's door is open.It's another step in the successful policy of enlargement of both NATO and the EU,and the enlargement of NATO over many years has contributed to stability,peace and security in Europe.And now Montenegro is going to be part of that.Any sanctions or reactions from Russia will be absolutely unjustified,because it's about respecting the sovereign decision of a sovereign nation,Montenegro,to decide on its own path-and that should be respected by everyone.*
NATO is not contemplating combat operations in Libya,but institution-building.We will continue to discuss how we can help them.*
Some of the proposals from our strategic commanders are for battalions in the Baltic countries.It has to be a multinational presence because it sends a very clear signal that an attack on one Ally will be an attack on the whole Alliance.The importance of this forward presence is not that it's going to be so very big,but that it is a multinational presence sending a very clear signal that we are going to stand united;and the forward presence has to be combined with the increased ability to reinforce if needed,so you have to also understand that the forward presence is linked to the high readiness,the higher responsiveness of our forces,and we have already decided to triple the size of the NATO Response Force-and part of that is the new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),or the Spearhead Force,a brigade-sized force which can deploy on a very short notice.Add to that that we are already investing in infrastructure;in prepositioning equipment;ammunition;and that the US is in the process of quadrupling its funding for the US presence in Europe:so this is a big thing altogether-a forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance is just one element in a more comprehensive approach.*
We will decide on the future of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan beyond 2016,and will also decide on the funding for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.I think that NATO Allies providing funding is extremely important and we will continue to do so.*
I strongly believe that the Summit of NATO in July will recognise the progress that Georgia is making and will reiterate our strong commitment to provide both strong political support to Georgia;but also to provide practical support,working with Georgia to implement reforms,build institutions and to enhance Georgia's ability to modernise its armed forces.So we will continue to work with Georgia;we will continue to defend Georgia's right to make its own decisions;and we continue to work on reforms and help Georgia moving towards NATO membership.*
I have to tell you about the Minsk Agreement on Eastern Ukraine that of course I am concerned,because after we saw a lull in the fighting last year and the beginning of this year-I think the ceasefire was mostly respected-we have seen gradually an increase in the numbers of violations of the ceasefire,and that is undermining the whole Minsk Agreement because it is based on the ceasefire.So my message is,the ceasefire has to be respected;heavy weapons have to be withdrawn;and the international observers have to have full access to the area so they make sure that the Minsk Agreement is fully implemented.*
I'm really looking forward to the opening of a new NATO Training Centre in Kuwait and I visited the site of the facility.It's a big,big building where we're going to have different kinds of training,capacity-building activities for the region.And I think that's just one example of how we are increasing our cooperaton with the Gulf countries.*
In Turkey,we have positioned Patriot Missile batteries;AWACS aircraft;port visits by NATO ships.NATO member countries have bilateral agreements with Turkey to fly out of Incerlik Air Base.This is a very joint effort of NATO Allies and Turkey in the fight against ISIL and also providing the necessary assurance measures for Turkey,all at the same time,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out to journalists in Brussels,Belgium.
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
The US,Germany and NATO - the bilateral piece of the security puzzle
On 24 April,President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a news conference in Hannover,Germany.The President gave a readout of their bilateral talks on the occasion of the first visit of an American president to Hannover:
Most of our discussions,as Chancellor Merkel indicated,focused on urgent security challenges,Mr.Obama said.Germany is a valued member of the coalition to destroy ISIL.German aircraft support the campaign and German personnel in Iraq are training local forces.German assistance is helping Iraq stabilise and rebuild the areas it liberates from ISIL and our coalition continues to make progress.
Today we discussed additional steps that NATO could take to support the campaign,as well as economic assistance to Iraq that the G7 could pledge at next month's summit in Japan.Germany is obviously a very strong partner in the effort to provide humanitarian relief to the people of Syria and Iraq.We remain deeply concerned about the upsurge of fighting in Syria in recent days,and we continue to agree that the only real solution is a political solution that moves Syria toward an inclusive government that represents all Syrians.
Given the horrific attacks that we've seen around the world,including Paris,Brussels,Istanbul and San Bernardino,California-and on a much more frequent basis we've seen violence and attacks that's taking place in the Middle East-we discussed the importance of maintaining our strong security cooperation.In Afghanistan,we'll continue to help strengthen Afghan forces as they continue to push back against al-Qaida,the Taliban and ISIL.We'll continue to support the Libyan people and the new Libyan government as it seeks to extend security across its country.We agreed that the US and Germany are going to remain very strong counterintelligence and intelligence partners,and we're committed to using all the tools at our disposal to prevent terrorists from traveling and plotting attacks-and that includes improved information-sharing between our countries and within Europe-and,as always,we'll do so while upholding our values and civil liberties,inculding the privacy of citizens here and in the US.
I want to once again commend Angela for her courageous leadership in the response to migrants who are fleeing the Syrian conflict and conflicts elsewhere in the region.Perhaps because she once lived behind a wall herself,Angela understands the aspirations of those who've been denied their freedom and who seek a better life.And I know the politics around this issue can be difficult in all of our countries.We did discuss the EU's recent agreement with Turkey and Angela and I agreed that our nations can respond to that challenge in a way thatmis both humane and ensures our security.
And finally,as we look ahead to this summer's NATO summit in Warsaw,we discussed the importance of keeping the alliance strong with the investments that's needed for or collective defence.We continue to augment,on a rotational basis,NATO forces in Eastern Europe,including the Baltic States.As I've said since the very beginning of my presidency,we have a treaty obligation to defend every NATO member-and we will.Beyond the alliance,we welcome the formation of a new government in Ukraine,which we encourage to continue the political,economic and energy reforms that can deliver progress for the Ukrainian people.Chancellor Merkel,along with President Hollande,have been tireless in their pursuit of a peaceful anddurable solution to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine,and we agreed that all sides need to uphold the commitments they have made,and that sanctions against Russia can and should be lifted only when Russia fully complies with its commitments under the Minsk agreement,the President said.*
For her part,Chancellor Merkel said that Germany has become a more active partner,I think one can safely say,because we are also threatened.Our own security is threatened and we realise that we cannot ensure this on our own.We have to do this in our alliance,and in certain areas we have shouldered a long-term mission that we're going to continue-if we look at Afghansitan,for example.In a way, we've had a change of paradigm in the sense that we see this challenge of IS as something that is very acute,so we send weapons into a conflict area;we gave them to the Peshmerga-a completely new step compared to our past policies.
Looking at the terrorist threat-against France,for example-we've shouldered responsibility for a mission in Northern Africa,which is also a new thing as well,leaving the Congo mission aside where we spent some time;but if we meet in Germany,if we meet at the G7,or,again,in Warsaw-we shall have other opportunities to meet,the President and I-we shall address all of these issues,so,let me say for me,the future with this president is much more important than the past right now.We know that we obviously have to make additional efforts as regards our possibilities to defend ourselves;we have to put in more equipment,more personnel;we know the targets NATO has submitted to us;we think that the whole positioning of our Federal Armed Forces reflects fully the sense that we need to shoulder this national responsibility also as regards,for example,cyber threats-something that we've neglected to do over the past years.And I think that it helps-it helps us to tackle the challenges and to master them,and the cooperation with the US is indispensable.Looking at the larger neighbourhood of Europe,the transatlantic cooperation within NATO,but also other fora,is also highly essential for maintaining or own security and safety,Mrs.Merkel noted.
Most of our discussions,as Chancellor Merkel indicated,focused on urgent security challenges,Mr.Obama said.Germany is a valued member of the coalition to destroy ISIL.German aircraft support the campaign and German personnel in Iraq are training local forces.German assistance is helping Iraq stabilise and rebuild the areas it liberates from ISIL and our coalition continues to make progress.
Today we discussed additional steps that NATO could take to support the campaign,as well as economic assistance to Iraq that the G7 could pledge at next month's summit in Japan.Germany is obviously a very strong partner in the effort to provide humanitarian relief to the people of Syria and Iraq.We remain deeply concerned about the upsurge of fighting in Syria in recent days,and we continue to agree that the only real solution is a political solution that moves Syria toward an inclusive government that represents all Syrians.
Given the horrific attacks that we've seen around the world,including Paris,Brussels,Istanbul and San Bernardino,California-and on a much more frequent basis we've seen violence and attacks that's taking place in the Middle East-we discussed the importance of maintaining our strong security cooperation.In Afghanistan,we'll continue to help strengthen Afghan forces as they continue to push back against al-Qaida,the Taliban and ISIL.We'll continue to support the Libyan people and the new Libyan government as it seeks to extend security across its country.We agreed that the US and Germany are going to remain very strong counterintelligence and intelligence partners,and we're committed to using all the tools at our disposal to prevent terrorists from traveling and plotting attacks-and that includes improved information-sharing between our countries and within Europe-and,as always,we'll do so while upholding our values and civil liberties,inculding the privacy of citizens here and in the US.
I want to once again commend Angela for her courageous leadership in the response to migrants who are fleeing the Syrian conflict and conflicts elsewhere in the region.Perhaps because she once lived behind a wall herself,Angela understands the aspirations of those who've been denied their freedom and who seek a better life.And I know the politics around this issue can be difficult in all of our countries.We did discuss the EU's recent agreement with Turkey and Angela and I agreed that our nations can respond to that challenge in a way thatmis both humane and ensures our security.
And finally,as we look ahead to this summer's NATO summit in Warsaw,we discussed the importance of keeping the alliance strong with the investments that's needed for or collective defence.We continue to augment,on a rotational basis,NATO forces in Eastern Europe,including the Baltic States.As I've said since the very beginning of my presidency,we have a treaty obligation to defend every NATO member-and we will.Beyond the alliance,we welcome the formation of a new government in Ukraine,which we encourage to continue the political,economic and energy reforms that can deliver progress for the Ukrainian people.Chancellor Merkel,along with President Hollande,have been tireless in their pursuit of a peaceful anddurable solution to the conflict in Eastern Ukraine,and we agreed that all sides need to uphold the commitments they have made,and that sanctions against Russia can and should be lifted only when Russia fully complies with its commitments under the Minsk agreement,the President said.*
For her part,Chancellor Merkel said that Germany has become a more active partner,I think one can safely say,because we are also threatened.Our own security is threatened and we realise that we cannot ensure this on our own.We have to do this in our alliance,and in certain areas we have shouldered a long-term mission that we're going to continue-if we look at Afghansitan,for example.In a way, we've had a change of paradigm in the sense that we see this challenge of IS as something that is very acute,so we send weapons into a conflict area;we gave them to the Peshmerga-a completely new step compared to our past policies.
Looking at the terrorist threat-against France,for example-we've shouldered responsibility for a mission in Northern Africa,which is also a new thing as well,leaving the Congo mission aside where we spent some time;but if we meet in Germany,if we meet at the G7,or,again,in Warsaw-we shall have other opportunities to meet,the President and I-we shall address all of these issues,so,let me say for me,the future with this president is much more important than the past right now.We know that we obviously have to make additional efforts as regards our possibilities to defend ourselves;we have to put in more equipment,more personnel;we know the targets NATO has submitted to us;we think that the whole positioning of our Federal Armed Forces reflects fully the sense that we need to shoulder this national responsibility also as regards,for example,cyber threats-something that we've neglected to do over the past years.And I think that it helps-it helps us to tackle the challenges and to master them,and the cooperation with the US is indispensable.Looking at the larger neighbourhood of Europe,the transatlantic cooperation within NATO,but also other fora,is also highly essential for maintaining or own security and safety,Mrs.Merkel noted.
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