Welcome speech by Prime Minister Schoof at the North Atlantic Council in The Hague
At the meeting of the North Atlantic Council the heads of state and government will discuss the most important decisions facing the alliance.
Thank you, Mark.
Colleagues, friends, allies,
On behalf of the Dutch government: welcome to The Hague.
This is the first NATO Summit ever to be held in the Netherlands.
And we are honoured to have you here, in the city that has been speaking the language of peace and justice ever since the First Hague Peace Conference was held in 1899.
I am convinced that, after today, The Hague will also be known as the city of collective purpose, unity and resolve.
After all, we’re about to write history.
We’re about to make decisions leading to an unprecedented increase in our collective defence spending, and a new financial balance in our alliance.
Both are urgent.
Both are necessary.
And both will help make our transatlantic bond even stronger.
So we can do justice to our founding principles of democracy, liberty and the rule of law, as laid down the Washington Treaty.
The last NATO event held in The Hague was a foreign ministers’ meeting in 1989.
Just as the Iron Curtain was beginning to break apart, on the eve of the Cold War’s end.
And for a period, we hoped and believed that relations with Russia would continue to thaw.
But the ‘end of history’ turned out to be an illusion.
An illusion that was shattered for good when Russia brutally invaded Ukraine.
Peace must be protected – constantly and with conviction
So today there’s a renewed awareness in our ranks that peace cannot be taken for granted.
That it must be protected – constantly and with conviction.
And yes: peace comes at a cost.
We must act on this swiftly and decisively.
So let’s stand united and embrace the Hague Defence Investment Plan.
Let’s get to work and write that history.
Thank you.