On 14 and 15 June 2016, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of Luxembourg, Étienne Schneider, attended the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in Brussels, which was dominated by discussions of collective defense and preparation for the Warsaw Summit to be held on 8 and 9 July 2016.
The meeting was also an opportunity for Étienne Schneider to hold bilateral talks wth his Belgian counterpart Steven Vandeput, and to participate in a meeting of the countries of the Nations Framework Concept, headed by the German Minister of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen.
Minister Schneider stated that it was important that Warsaw does not appear as a meeting against Russia. He claimed that if it is about strengthening the posture of deterrence and the collective defense of the alliance, it was appropriate to simultaneously prioritise dialogue and transparency to avoid possible misunderstandings and incidents. On NATO's missile defense, he said it was important to reaffirm it as defensive in nature and not targeted against Russia.
The Minister pledged that Luxembourg will continue to contribute to the implementation of the measures decided at the previous summit in Wales, in particular through its participation in the German VJTF in 2019.
The defense ministers stressed that "advanced enhanced presence" in a spirit of "28 for 28" is a clear signal of solidarity between allies. All these measures aims to be defensive, transparent and in compliance with all international commitments in the field. In this context, Minister Schneider announced Luxembourg's intention to contribute to a tactical group, most likely in Lithuania. A bilateral cooperation project with Estonia in the field of cyber defense was also highlighted.
Luxembourg has also reconfirmed its commitment to the defense effort by investing in NATO capability objectives and priority areas, including those based on satellite technology.
During a working dinner with Federica Mogherini, the ministers discussed ways to deepend cooperation between the EU and NATO which will be a central theme of the next summit. Ministers also met with their Ukrainian counterpart to discuss the security situation in Ukraine.
Defense Ministers finally exchanged views on NATO's efforts to project stability beyond the borders of the alliance, particularly through its partnership policy and Defence Capacity Building initiative. The future of NATO's engagement in Afghanistan and the extension of the Mission Resolute Support were also discussed.
Photo by NATO (L-R): Ursula von der Leyen ; Étienne Schneider
