NATO Secretary General addresses historic Joint Meeting of the US Congress


NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed a joint meeting of the United States Congress in Washington DC on Wednesday (3 April 2019), making him the first leader of an international organization ever to do so. The Secretary General’s speech focused on the bond between Europe and North America, the enduring strength of the NATO Alliance and the importance of unity in an unpredictable world.


NATO Secretary General addresses historic Joint Meeting of the US Congress Copier
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, at the U.S. Congress (Picture source: NATO)


Jens Stoltenberg  said: “Since we cannot foresee the future, we have to be prepared for the unforeseen. We need a strategy to deal with uncertainty. We have one. That strategy is NATO.” The Secretary General is in Washington with Foreign Ministers from all 29 Allies to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO’s founding document, in 1949.

Read the full text of the Secretary General's address here.

On the actual 70th anniversary day of its creation, NATO has published an official statement in four points.