00:01What do you make of Mr Macron's comments that he said yesterday about NATO nabbing brain dead?
00:07That's not the case. NATO is agile, NATO is active, NATO is adapting.
00:16And NATO is the most successful alliance in history because we have been able to change again and again when
00:22the world is changing.
00:23And we have just implemented the largest reinforcement of collective defence in the generation with high readiness of forces with
00:32presence in eastern part of the alliance for the first time in our history and with European allies now investing
00:40more in defence.
00:41After years of cutting budgets, they are now increasing budgets.
00:45We have modernised the NATO command structure and we see also the US is increasing their military presence in Europe.
00:54And we have to remember that NATO is the only place where North America, Europe meets every day, discuss, decide
01:02and take actions together every day addressing security issues, strategic issues which are important for our security.
01:11So, it's something new that there are differences in this alliance.
01:16Going back to the Suez crisis in 1956 or to the Iraq War in 2003, there has always been differences.
01:23What we have proven and what we also show today is that NATO is able to overcome these differences and
01:29then be united around our core tasks to protect and defend each other.
01:33But if we want to make any other issues or problems, we want to be able to move forward and
01:33hear exactly what happens.
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