Prime Minister Xavier Bettel attended the NATO summit in Brussels yesterday, along with the heads of state or government of the 28 member states of the Alliance, as well as the Prime Minister of Montenegro, which is in line to join as the future 29th member state.

Representatives attended the inauguration of two monuments, one dedicated to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty — which guarantees collective defence — and 11 September 2001, and the other for the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The Heads of State or Government also participated in an official ceremony for the new NATO building.

During the summit, the Prime Minister stressed that Luxembourg will continue to assume its share of responsibility and remains fully committed to the implementation of the Defence Investment Pledge, adopted at the Wales Summit in 2014.  

"We will continue our capabilities investment by bringing concrete contributions in the interests of te defence of the alliance”, he said. 

The prime minister added that Luxembourg will continue to increase and diversify its defence effort beyond 2025 by investing in areas that also benefit Luxembourg's economy and interests.

But, the Prime Minister said that we must not put everything on defence by neglecting the root causes of instabilities. "It is precisely for this reason that Luxembourg has decided to invest 1% of GNI in development and hence human capital, especially in West Africa. 

"Giving a perspective to young people in these countries contributes to conflict prevention and the reduction of insecurity”, the prime minister underlined. 

Image: Xavier Bettel with Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of NATO