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Assemblée parlementaire de l'OTAN
HomeMEDIA RESOURCES201223 April 2012 - “SMART DEFENCE WILL HELP NATO KEEP ITS PROMISE OF PROVIDING SECURITY IN SOLIDARITY”, NATO PA PRESIDENT SAYS
23 April 2012 - “SMART DEFENCE WILL HELP NATO KEEP ITS PROMISE OF PROVIDING SECURITY IN SOLIDARITY”, NATO PA PRESIDENT SAYS
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Addressing a gathering of parliamentarians from South Eastern Europe in Tirana on Monday 23 April, NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Dr Karl A. Lamers warned that “the economic crisis is challenging the main promise of the Alliance: to provide security in solidarity.” Responding to this challenge requires “a new mindset” Dr Lamers stressed, and “our national parliaments have a responsibility to be the drivers of this new mindset”. “Cooperation is no longer an option, but a necessity”, Dr Lamers told participants at the conference; “With collective solutions, countries can acquire capabilities they could not afford individually. With collective solutions, we can ensure that defence cuts in one country do not put at risk our ability, collectively, to respond to crises decisively, when and where needed.” “Smart Defense is a way to help NATO keep its promise of security in solidarity”, Dr Lamers insisted. |
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Recognising that “Smart Defense can work only if there is trust, confidence, creativity, and political will”, Dr Lamers urged Allied governments and parliaments “to invest in confidence building” and “to create projects that take into account a shared sense of identity”. He paid tribute to Albania and other countries of the region for their leadership in regional defence cooperation, and welcomed efforts to promote multinational projects in the region under the banner of Smart Defence. Dr Lamers was one of the keynote speakers at a regional conference of parliamentarians from South Eastern Europe hosted by the Albanian Parliament in cooperation with the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. The conference aimed at exploring areas for Smart Defence cooperation in South Eastern Europe, and developing concrete proposals in the run-up to NATO's Chicago Summit. Click here to view the full text of the speech:
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