NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, underlined, on Monday 9 December, their commitment to further strengthen cooperation between the EU and the Alliance.
We need “meaningful cooperation, a strong cooperation, sharing the responsibility of our security and our citizens. Acting with partners wherever possible and, if necessary, alone. But in most of the cases, we need to be together”, Borrell told reporters.
Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the meeting which took place only a few days after Mr Borrell took office. “I think this underlines the importance of cooperation”, he explained, adding that he would continue to ensure that the two organisations complement each other and do not compete with each other. “The security challenges we face today are too complex for any one nation or organisation to face alone. Neither NATO nor the EU have all the tools necessary to keep our people safe, but working together, we make a formidable team and we can achieve a lot”, he added.
The Secretary General also recalled that, at their meeting in London, Allied leaders had welcomed the “unprecedented progress” in this cooperation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)