NATO Secretary General with the President of Czechia 🇨🇿 Petr Pavel, 19 APR 2023

Joint press point with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Czechia, Petr Pavel, 19 April 2023. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the new Czech president, Petr Pavel, to NATO Headquarters. Mr Stoltenberg praised Czechia as a valued Ally and thanked President Pavel for Czechia’s steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s brutal war of aggression: “Czechia has provided critical military equipment to Ukraine, including tanks, helicopters and air defence missiles and you host hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.“ The two leaders also addressed the challenges posed by China. Mr Stoltenberg said: “I welcomed Czechia’s new strategy on the Indo-Pacific. China’s coercive policies are a concern for us in the Euro-Atlantic, just as for our partners in the Indo-Pacific. China challenges our interests, security and values. China is also growing closer to Russia – refusing to condemn its illegal war against Ukraine, and echoing Russian propaganda about the West. So it is important that we continue to work together as Allies, and with like-minded partners around the globe. To stand in defence of our values, and the rules-based international order.“ The Secretary General said he looked forward to working with President Pavel and the Czech government to prepare NATO’s Vilnius Summit in July. President Pavel previously served as Chair of the NATO Military Committee from 2015 to 2018. 🗣 | NATO Secretary General: President Pavel, Dear Petr, Welcome back to NATO Headquarters. It’s really a great honour and pleasure to welcome you here. And congratulations on your election as President of the Czech Republic. We worked very closely together over your tenure as Chair of the NATO Military Committee. So you are a strong supporter of our transatlantic Alliance. And you know NATO inside and out. So it is really a pleasure to welcome you now in your new capacity as President. Czechia makes valuable contributions to our shared security. In response to Russia’s brutal war of aggression, you have stepped up to protect other NATO Allies, and to support Ukraine. Czechia has provided critical military equipment to Ukraine, including tanks, helicopters and air defence missiles. And you host hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. You lead NATO’s new battlegroup in Slovakia, helping to deter any aggression. And you contribute forces to our battlegroups in Latvia and Lithuania. Your forces also serve in NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, and our capacity-building mission in Iraq. We just discussed our support for Ukraine. Though Russian forces continue to sustain significant losses, President Putin shows no signs of preparing for peace. He thinks he can outlast Ukraine’s resistance and Western support. So we must continue to prove him wrong. And provide the Ukrainians with what they need to prevail. I welcome Czechia’s continued support, including through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine. In our meeting today, we also addressed the challenges posed by China. And I welcomed Czechia’s new strategy on the Indo-Pacific. China’s coercive policies are a concern for us in the Euro-Atlantic, just as for our partners in the Indo-Pacific. China challenges our interests, security and values. China is also growing closer to Russia – refusing to condemn its illegal war against Ukraine, and echoing Russian propaganda about the West. So it is important that we continue to work together as Allies, and with like-minded partners around the globe. To stand in defence of our values, and the rules-based international order. So President, thank you for your excellent discussion and meeting today. And for Czechia’s strong contributions to NATO. I look forward to continue to working with you. Please. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ SUBSCRIBE to this channel SUBSCRIBE to NATO News SUBSCRIBE to NATO History Connect with NATO online: Visit the Official NATO Homepage: Receive NATO updates via email: Find NATO on FACEBOOK: Follow @NATO on TWITTER: Follow NATO on Instagram: Find NATO on LinkedIn: Find NATO on Flickr: #NATO #OTAN #Czechia