NATO's Parlamentariske Forsamling 2022-23 (2. samling), Det Udenrigspolitiske Nævn 2022-23 (2. samling)
NPA Alm.del Bilag 9, UPN Alm.del Bilag 93
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INFORMAL NATO
FOREIGN MINISTERS’
MEETING
1 June 2023
Policy Brief
101 SPE 23 E | Original: English | June 2023
This Policy Brief is presented for information only and does not
represent the official view of the Assembly.
 UPN, Alm.del - 2022-23 (2. samling) - Bilag 93: Policy Brief NATO informal MFA Meeting
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101 SPE 23 E
INFORMAL NATO FOREIGN MINISTERS’ MEETING,
1 JUNE 2023:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
NATO Foreign Ministers met in Oslo, Norway on 1 June
to discuss key issues in
preparation for the upcoming NATO Summit
of Heads of State and Government, which
will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania on 11-12 July 2023.
As it was an informal meeting, no decisions were taken, but Allied ministers had the
opportunity to openly exchange views on a range of issues relating to the upcoming
Summit’s agenda and to improve the understanding of where the consensus can be found.
Key issues
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Strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence & defence investment
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Stepping up support to Ukraine in the short and long term, including issues of
membership and possible security guarantees
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Finalising Sweden’s accession to NATO
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Enhancing relations with Asia-Pacific partners
Additional notes
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Ahead of the meeting, the Secretary General paid
tribute to the victims and
survivors of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway.
•
In his public remarks the Secretary General also addressed
recent developments
in the north of Kosovo,
notably the violence against KFOR personnel.
Photo source: nato.int
I.
STRENGTHENING
INVESTMENT
NATO’S
DEFENCE
AND
DETERRENCE
&
DEFENCE
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Ministers discussed
strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence posture,
including through increased investment.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that, at the Vilnius Summit, Allies “will
take decisions to further
strengthen our deterrence and defence”.
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Mr Stoltenberg also noted that Allies are expected to agree on a new Defence
Investment Pledge. He expected that
spending 2% of GDP on defence would
become “a floor, a minimum for what is needed to meet obligations as a NATO
Ally”.
STEPPING UP SUPPORT TO UKRAINE IN THE SHORT AND LONG TERM –
UKRAINE’S MEMBERSHIP – SECURITY GUARANTEES
The Secretary General noted that the
focus of discussions
during this informal
ministerial
was “on how we can bring Ukraine closer to NATO, where it belongs”.
The Secretary General reiterated that “all Allies agree that the most urgent and important
task now is to
ensure that Ukraine prevails
as a sovereign independent nation.”
According to him, at the Vilnius summit, Allies will discuss “how to sustain and step up
the concrete military support to Ukraine, with equipment, with ammunition, with spare
parts, with
everything they need to be able to liberate more land”.
The Secretary General welcomed the fact that, over the last months and weeks, Allies
have stepped up the deliveries of
heavy armour, modern battle tanks,
but also long
range cruise missiles
and will start
training Ukrainian pilots
to fly NATO standard
aircraft.
At the same time, he reiterated that
Allies “will stand by Ukraine for as long as it
takes”.
He also stressed that Allies “have the right to support Ukraine without becoming
a party to the conflict”,
as Ukraine exercises the right to self-defence,
enshrined in
the UN Charter.
Long-term support
to Ukraine was also in focus during the discussions. Mr Stoltenberg
announced that the Allies are working on a
multi-year package,
with robust funding, to
help rebuild its security and defence sector, to accelerate transition from Soviet-era
doctrines, equipment and training and to ensure full interoperability with NATO.
Ministers discussed
the idea of upgrading the existing NATO-Ukraine Commission
to a new NATO-Ukraine Council,
where all Allies and Ukraine would be sitting at the
table as equals to discuss key issues for Euro-Atlantic security.
Ministers also discussed
Ukraine’s NATO membership
prospects. The Secretary
General reiterated that “all
Allies agree that NATO’s door remains open.
That it is
only for Allies and Ukraine to make decisions on membership.
Russia does not have a
veto.
And all Allies agree that
Ukraine will become a member of NATO.”
Ministers also discussed
potential long-term security frameworks for Ukraine after
the war ends.
In his public remarks, Mr Stoltenberg highlighted that “[w]e don’t know
when the war ends.
But we must ensure that, when it does, we have credible
arrangements in place to guarantee Ukraine’s security in the future.
And to break
Russia’s cycle of aggression.” He made clear that the exact form and details still need
to be worked out but that the goal is to “look into what kind of frameworks that we can
establish to provide the necessary guarantees that President Putin is not able once
again to attack Ukraine”.
Discussing the importance of standing with Ukraine for the long term, Mr Stoltenberg
noted that the Allies are determined to prove to autocrats that “democracies
are
actually able to stand up for their values
and be there when they are needed to
defend democracy and freedom as we do when we support Ukraine.” He stressed that
if Putin wins in Ukraine, it would make the world more dangerous
and “send the
message that when authoritarian leaders use military force to get what they want, and
that also make us more vulnerable.”
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When asked about diplomatic peace initiatives, the Secretary General reiterated that
Allies “will
leave it to President Zelenskyy and to the Ukrainians decide the format
and the conditions for any peace talks.”
FINALISING SWEDEN’S ACCESSION TO NATO
The Secretary General reiterated that “Sweden’s
swift accession
will contribute to
Alliance security.”
He noted that Sweden’s
new anti-terrorism laws
that came into force on the day of the
meeting demonstrate that “Sweden has delivered on what they committed to do under
the Trilateral Memorandum concluded last year in Madrid.”
He noted that, during the ministers’ meeting, “in general,
Türkiye has expressed that
they are supportive of Swedish membership and Türkiye stand by the decision
they made together with other Allies to invite Sweden”.
Mr Stoltenberg also reiterated that
Türkiye has legitimate security concerns,
that no
other Allies has suffered more terrorist attacks than Türkiye and that it remains
important to “work together with Türkiye to fight terrorism in all of its forms and
manifestations”.
On the
Hungarian parliament’s ratification,
the Secretary General noted that
he was
“confident that also Hungary will ratify the Accession Protocol.”
He has had “no
indication that [the Hungarians] have changed their position that they will not be the last
to ratify so when Türkiye ratifies, I’m absolutely certain –I'm confident that Hungary will
do that because they have said it before.”
Following the ministerial, the Secretary General
travelled to Türkiye on 3-4 June
for
the inauguration ceremony for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. During his visit,
he discussed Sweden’s accession with President Erdogan. They agreed that the
Permanent Joint Mechanism between Türkiye, Finland, and Sweden should meet
again in the week beginning on 12 June.
Mr Stoltenberg said he looked forward to
finalising Sweden’s accession as soon as possible.
ENHANCING RELATIONS WITH ASIA-PACIFIC PARTNERS
The Secretary General stressed the importance of
increasing engagement with Asia-
Pacific partners.
He reiterated that “security is not regional, security is global” and
added that
“[w]hat happens in Asia matters for Europe and what happens in
Europe matters for Asia,
and therefore it is even more important that NATO Allies are
strengthening our partnership with our Indo Pacific partners.”
He announced that
all four partners
(Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic
of Korea)
will attend the Vilnius Summit at the level of heads of state and
government.
Mr Stoltenberg also announced that, following a request, NATO is looking into the
possibility of opening
a liaison office in the region.
(Media has reported that the office
could be located in Japan, but the Secretary General did not specify the location in his
public remarks).
In his remarks, the Secretary General condemned the
military satellite launch by
North Korea,
noting that “this blatantly violates several UN Security Council resolutions”
and “poses serious risks to the security of the region and beyond.” In a statement, he
said that “NATO calls on the DPRK to cease these provocative actions and to return to
dialogue in order to achieve sustainable peace and the complete and verifiable
III.
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IV.
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101 SPE 23 E
denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.” He added “We stand together with our close
partners in the region, the Republic of Korea and Japan.”
V.
•
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE NORTH OF KOSOVO
In his public remarks, the Secretary General also addressed
recent developments in
the north of Kosovo.
After
the “totally unacceptable” violence against NATO
personnel, NATO has deployed its operational reserve of around 700 additional
troops, and Allies are readying an additional reserve force in case it will be
needed.
He added that the peacekeepers have a clear UN mandate and that “NATO
will remain vigilant [and] we will be there to ensure a safe and secure environment and
also to calm down and reduce the tensions.”
The Allied message to Belgrade and to Pristina remains to engage in good faith
in the EU-facilitated dialogue.
It was “the only path to peace but at the same time,
NATO has responsibility to ensure stability in Kosovo, and that is reason why we have
been there for many years and why we now are increasing our presence in the region.”
TRIBUTE TO THE VICTIMS AND SURVIVORS OF THE 22 JULY 2011 TERRORIST
ATTACKS IN NORWAY
Ahead of the Informal Meeting,
the Secretary General paid tribute to the victims and
survivors of the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway,
praising the resilience of
the Norwegian people and the strength of democracy on Wednesday. He noted that
“[t]here is a line between Utøya and Ukraine […] between a brutal act of terrorism and
an illegal war of aggression.”
He added that
“[w]e will not let authoritarian states break down the rules-based
international order. We will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. And we will not
let terrorists crush our free and open societies. We will stand united to protect our
values and our people”.
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VI.
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