NATO – Conversation between Jean-Yves Le Drian and the NATO secretary general (Nov. 20)

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg today in the run-up to the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs on December 1 and 2.

The minister welcomed the involvement of, and the work accomplished by, the experts tasked with facilitating the strategic thinking process initiated a year ago at the initiative of France and Germany. He thanked the secretary general for the support lent to this process. He also expressed the hope that the ministers’ upcoming exchanges at the beginning of December would provide an opportunity to discuss its conclusions and implications for NATO in the new trans-Atlantic context.

The minister and the secretary general discussed the importance of continuing our joint fight against terrorism. Coordination between allies in Iraq, as in Afghanistan, is essential in the relevant forums, within the framework of the Global Coalition against Daesh and NATO in order to protect our common security interests in these two countries.

Lastly, the minister underscored the need for a frank debate within the Alliance on the need for all allies to respect the security interests and values that we share. In this respect, he notably underscored the need to ensure the immediate withdrawal of foreign fighters involved in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.