PM Xavier Bettel Advocates Multilateralism, Unity at NATO Leaders Meeting

On Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 December 2019, Luxembourg's Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, François Bausch, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, participated in the the NATO Leaders Meeting in London.

The meeting, which marked the 70th anniversary of the Atlantic Alliance, brought together the various Heads of State and Government of NATO member states.

In his speech at the working session, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, stated: "NATO remains the indispensable military alliance to guarantee our collective security in the Euro-Atlantic area. 70 years after its creation, NATO must also remain a relevant political forum, the only one bringing together transatlantic partners, based on multilateralism and fundamental values".

To this end, the Prime Minister also supported the launch of a strategic reflection on the future of the Alliance in order to identify the main challenges facing member countries and the best responses to them. He added: "The goal must be to overcome our differences and strengthen our unity. We need to talk to each other rather than about each other".

With regard to burden sharing, Luxembourg's Prime Minister noted that the current security context requires increased efforts by all members of the Alliance, and that Luxembourg assumes its share of responsibility: "Luxembourg is participating in the development of a modern defence adapted to the challenges of the future. That's why we invest in high-tech capabilities, in multilateral projects and in the interest of the Alliance".

Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister François Bausch was satisfied with the peaceful tone of the discussions between NATO Heads of State and Government in a difficult context. He regretted, however, that one of the great challenges of our time, climate change, has not received more attention. For Minister Bausch, climate change represents an undeniable challenge in terms of collective security.

For his part, Jean Asselborn, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, highlighted the defensive nature of the Atlantic Alliance, stressing that "the dignity of women and men, our democratic values ​​and legal norms must remain at the centre of our policies".