NATO’s Partnerships and Beyond

The third key seminar on NATO’s new Strategic Concept concluded in Oslo on 14 January. The event, entitled “NATO’s Partnerships and Beyond”, brought together members of the Group of Experts, government and military officials, representatives of international organisations and NGOs, independent experts and journalists.

Norwegian Defence Minister Grete Faremo and Madeleine K. Albright, Chair of the Group of experts. Photo: NATO. 

Norwegian Defence Minister Grete Faremo gave her concluding remarks and was happy that the seminar had gathered so many prominent participants.

 - Partnerships have been and will continue to be very important in the further development of the Alliance. Our world demands that we continue to evolve and improve our methods. This can only be achieved through dialogue and cooperation.

The Minister’s concluding remarks:

·  Since NATO started developing its partnership policy in the wake of the Cold War partnerships have become a crucial issue for the Alliance.

·  Over that past two decades NATO partnerships have flourished. Today NATO engages with partners on a global scale.

·  Partner countries are today engaged with NATO in tackling the most important security challenges of our time. Many partners participate fully in NATO operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo and elsewhere.

·  Partnerships have also been instrumental in facilitating the enlargement of NATO by helping partners qualify for membership in the Alliance.

·  The original objective of NATO’s partnership policy was to break down barriers and to build security through dialogue and cooperation. Two decades on it is my assessment that the partnership policy represents a historic success.

· It is my hope that the new Strategic Concept can help to renew and adapt NATO’s partnership structures by engaging allies and partners alike in a constructive discussions on how to further develop our cooperation.

· When I say that NATO’s partnerships must be renewed and adapted it is not because today’s partnership structures have not been successful, on the contrary they have been very successful. The cooperation between allies and partners has contributed to greater security in the Euro-Atlantic area by fostering dialogue, cooperation and confidence building measures.

· However, we must not be afraid to adapt, develop and change the partnership structures. In a rapidly changing world we must be willing to change and develop what we wish to preserve.