NATO's Parlamentariske Forsamling 2020-21
NPA Alm.del Bilag 14
Offentligt
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NATO FOREIGN
MINISTERS’ MEETING,
23-24 MARCH 2021
Policy Brief
057 SPE 21 E | Original: English | March 2021
This Policy Brief is presented for information only and does not
represent the official view of the Assembly.
 NPA, Alm.del - 2020-21 - Bilag 14: NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting March 2021 - Policy Brief
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057 SPE 21 E
NATO FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING, 23-24 MARCH 2021:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Agenda
•
NATO 2030 proposals & preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit
•
Russia, deterrence and defence & arms control
•
NATO's Mission in Afghanistan
•
Relations with the Middle East and North Africa
Decisions
•
Ministers adopted a statement (see annex) reaffirming their commitment to the transatlantic
bond, collective defence and democratic values and previewing key themes for the
upcoming NATO Summit.
•
Ministers
welcomed the recommendation to update NATO’s Strategic Concept.
•
Ministers deferred a decision on NATO’s presence in Afghanistan.
•
Ministers endorsed a report on NATO’s approach to climate change.
Additional notes
•
First ministerial meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
•
First in-person ministerial meeting in over a year
Partner participation
•
The session dedicated to relations with the Russian Federation was held with partners Finland and
Sweden as well as
the European Union’s High Representative
I.
NATO 2030 PROPOSALS & PREPARATIONS FOR THE UPCOMING NATO SUMMIT
DISCUSSIONS
•
After Defence Ministers in February, Foreign Affairs Ministers
reviewed the Secretary General’s
proposals under the
NATO 2030 reflection process.
The NATO Secretary General
sensed strong
support
among Allies for a bold and ambitious
NATO 2030
agenda.
•
The key aim of NATO 2030 is to adapt the Alliance to the rapidly changing security environment, the
rise of novel threats and systemic competition, and increasing challenges to the rules-based
international order.
•
The
main proposals
under discussion include:
o
Updating
NATO’s Strategic Concept
in time for the 2022 Summit
–
a recommendation
Ministers welcomed.
In his remarks related to the Strategic Concept, NATO Secretary
General Stoltenberg defined the twin goals of this process as follows: “So
that we jointly
address the changing security environment. And recommit to our fundamental values.”
o
Reaffirming the centrality of the
transatlantic relationship
o
Strengthening
deterrence and defence,
including through a substantial increase in common
funding
o
Strengthening
NATO’s role as the primary transatlantic
platform to discuss and coordinate
on all issues that affect
Allies’
shared security
o
Enhancing
resilience,
including in telecommunications and energy
o
Maintaining
NATO’s
technological edge
and fostering transatlantic cooperation on emerging
and disruptive technologies (EDTs)
o
Enhancing NATO’s focus on
climate change
o
Adopting a
more global outlook and protecting the rules-based international order,
including through increased cooperation with like-minded partners and more training and
support to partners
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057 SPE 21 E
•
The exchanges laid the groundwork and included preparations for the
upcoming NATO Summit
in
Brussels (dates and format yet to be determined).
BACKGROUND
•
The NATO 2030 initiative was an outcome of the 2019 NATO
Leaders’ Meeting
in London. Leaders
tasked the Secretary General to conduct a reflection process
to further strengthen NATO’s political
dimension including consultation. Drawing on proposals put forward by the appointed independent
expert group, the Secretary General gathered feedback in consultation with the capitals, the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly and young leaders, among others. The
NATO PA
has been closely associated
with the NATO 2030 reflection process and submitted its
recommendations
in
Declaration 460
adopted in November 2020.
•
On this basis, the NATO Secretary General has proposed an ambitious and wide-ranging agenda for
transatlantic security and defence.
The NATO 2030 initiative will be at the heart of the upcoming
NATO Summit in Brussels later this year.
•
The NATO Secretary General acknowledged the NATO PA’s contribution
in one of his press
conferences.
II.
RUSSIA, DETERRENCE AND DEFENCE AND ARMS CONTROL
DISCUSSIONS
•
Ministers held a discussion with Sweden and Finland and the EU High Representative on relations with
Russia and arms control, which demonstrated a strong convergence of views.
•
NATO remains committed to a
dual-track approach
to Russia, based on strong deterrence and
defence as well as openness to meaningful dialogue.
•
Allies agreed to continue to review and adapt
deterrence and defence,
including in light of the growing
Russian missile threat.
•
NATO will continue to
work with the EU and close partners
to respond to Russia’s actions.
•
NATO will
remain a nuclear alliance as long as nuclear weapons exists. At the same time, all
Allies also remain fully committed to arms control.
•
In this regard,
Allies welcomed the recent decision by the United States and Russia to extend the
New START agreement,
the only remaining remit limiting the number of nuclear warheads in the world.
Allies expressed hope this extension would help to further strengthen international nuclear arms control.
However, the Secretary General identified the modernisation of nuclear arsenals and development of
new hypersonic weapons by China and Russia as a challenge. The arms control regime must take
account of new realities, he stressed.
•
Allies and partners called for the immediate release of Alexei Navalny and other peaceful
demonstrators
who have been arrested in Russia. They also
called
out Russia’s disinformation
and propaganda and attempts to influence elections.
BACKGROUND AND FURTHER NOTES
•
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg noted that
“Despite
years of pressure and efforts to engage in a
meaningful dialogue, Russia has increased
its pattern of repressive behaviour at home and
aggressive actions abroad”,
including efforts to undermine and destabilise its neighbours Ukraine,
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057 SPE 21 E
Georgia and the Republic of Moldova as well as supporting the crackdown in Belarus and attempts to
interfere in the Western Balkans.
In response to Russia’s actions,
NATO has implemented the biggest reinforcement of collective
defence
in a generation and has stepped up hybrid and cyber defences.
The
NATO-Russia Council
has met ten times since the summer of 2016 but has not met since the
summer of 2019
“because
Russia has not responded positively to our invitation to convene the NATO-
Russia Council”, declared the NATO Secretary General.
The NATO Secretary General acknowledged that the issue of
Nord Stream 2
had been raised during
the meeting and that differences persisted among Allies on this issue.
NATO'S MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN
Ministers
made no final decision
on the future of the international troop presence in Afghanistan. They
expressed firm commitment to take the necessary measures and keep the troops safe. Ministers
underscored support to all efforts to reinvigorate the peace process.
Allies would continue to assess together the conditions on the ground, in close consultation,
and coordinate in the coming days and weeks.
Allies strongly support a
negotiated solution as the only way to achieve a sustainable peace and
ensure that Afghanistan never becomes a platform for international terrorism.
The Secretary General underscored there were no guarantees that the fragile peace talks would
succeed. All sides must
seize this historic opportunity without further delay and negotiate in good
faith,
and
all regional and international actors must play their part
to support a peaceful and stable
Afghanistan. He underlined the critical importance to see a reduction of violence and for the Taliban to
stop their support for “international terrorists, including Al Qaeda.”
Allies understand that there is
“no easy solution”
in Afghanistan nor a
“risk-free path ahead”
and
emphasise
the need to “prepare for all options.”
NATO remains
committed to the funding
for the Afghan national security forces secured until 2024.
RELATIONS WITH THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA
Ministers had a discussion on the Middle East and North Africa,
including NATO’s mission in Iraq
and support for partners in the region.
The NATO training and assistance mission in
Iraq
is based on the requests from the government of
Iraq. NATO will gradually increase its presence, in full coordination with the government of Iraq.
Ministers also reviewed partnerships with
Jordan and Tunisia.
Ministers discussed whether NATO can do more in the
Sahel
region.
On
Libya,
NATO welcomes the progress over the last two months in the UN-led peace efforts and
supports the Berlin process. NATO also stands ready to provide support with capacity building when
the conditions on the ground permit.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
•
•
•
III.
•
•
•
•
•
•
IV.
•
•
•
•
•
V.
CLIMATE CHANGE
•
Ministers endorsed a report on NATO’s approach to climate change.
The report would increase
the Alliance’s ability to understand, adapt and mitigate the security impact of climate change.
•
The Secretary General expressed confidence that the Alliance could play a leading role
in this
field and contribute to the objective of reaching Net Zero.
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057 SPE 21 E
NEW CHAPTER FOR TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS
•
•
This was the
first meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers with the new US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken.
As Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had done in February, Secretary of State Blinken
reiterated the
US steadfast commitment to the Alliance,
as a cornerstone of peace, prosperity and stability for the
transatlantic community for more than 70 years. He framed his trip to Brussels as an expression of the
US pledge to rebuild partnerships, first and foremost with NATO Allies, in an effort to revitalise the
Alliance.
In their statement, Ministers hailed the next NATO Summit as an opportunity to
open a new chapter
in transatlantic relations as well as to set the future direction of the Alliance.
They defined NATO’s
enduring
strength and purpose as follows: “NATO
is the strongest alliance in history, guaranteeing the
freedom of a billion people, the integrity of our territory, and the protection of our values.”
•
CHINA:
•
Asked about China, the NATO Secretary General elaborated on the
challenges related to China’s
rise:
“We
don't regard China as an adversary. But of course the rise of China has direct consequences
to our security. They will soon have the biggest economy in the world, they already have the second
largest defense budget, they are investing heavily in new modern military capabilities, including nuclear
capabilities, they are modernizing their armed forces, and we also see that China is a country which
used coercion against the neighbors in the region, we see their behavior in the, in the South China Sea.
And perhaps most importantly, China is a country that doesn't share our values. We see that in the way
they deal with democratic protests in Hong Kong, how they suppress minorities in their own country,
the Uighurs, and also how they actually try to undermine the international rules-based order. So, one
of the challenges we face as we now have this forward-looking process with NATO 2030 is how to
strengthen and how to work more closely together as allies, responding to the rise of China.”
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057 SPE 21 E
Annex 1: NATO Foreign Ministerial Statement, 23-24 March 2021
1. We are meeting in Brussels to reaffirm the enduring transatlantic bond between Europe and North
America, with NATO at its heart. We are bound together by our shared democratic values, and by
our adherence to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter. NATO is the foundation
of our collective defence: together we reaffirm our solemn commitment to the Washington Treaty,
including that an attack against one Ally shall be considered an attack against us all, as enshrined
in Article 5.
2. NATO is the strongest alliance in history, guaranteeing the freedom of a billion people, the integrity
of our territory, and the protection of our values. NATO is a defensive Alliance and poses no threat
to any country. In response to a more dangerous and unpredictable security environment, we are
considerably strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities, posture and resilience,
underpinned by seven consecutive years of rising defence spending, more capable and ready
forces, significant deployments in missions and operations, and deeper engagement with partners.
We are making good progress on fairer transatlantic burden sharing; we welcome the efforts made
by all Allies in Europe and North America that contribute to our indivisible security. We must and
will do more.
3.
NATO will continue to adapt. We face rising threats and systemic competition. Russia’s aggressive
actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security; terrorism in all its forms and manifestations
remains a persistent threat to us all. Assertive and authoritarian powers, and non-state actors,
challenge the rules-based international order, including through hybrid and cyber threats, the
malicious use of new technologies, as well as other asymmetric threats. The Covid-19 pandemic
once again illustrates that we face constantly evolving challenges; we will continue to ensure our
defence and operational effectiveness throughout this crisis. We pay tribute to all those who combat
this pandemic in all our countries and around the world.
4. The transatlantic partnership remains the cornerstone of our collective defence, central to our
political cohesion, and an essential pillar of the rules-based international order. The upcoming
NATO Summit will open a new chapter in transatlantic relations and set the direction for the future
of our Alliance to 2030 and beyond. In line with the decision by our Leaders in London in December
2019, we will further strengthen NATO’s political dimension, including consultation.
We welcome
the reflection process, including the recommendation to update NATO’s Strategic Concept. We will
further reinforce NATO’s resilience, military strength and global outlook, connecting more closely
with other nations and international organisations that share our goals. We will continue to stand
together and to work together, to guarantee our security, prosperity, democracy and freedoms.
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