North Atlantic Treaty Organization
February 14, 2014
NATO Secretary General meets with Council of Europe Secretary General
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen discussed international issues of common concern and prospects for furthering institutional interaction with Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Friday (14 February). The meeting was part of periodic high-level consultations between the two organizations and of NATO’s interaction with international organizations in general, in the spirit of a comprehensive approach to security.
The NATO Secretary General welcomed the active and important role played by the Council of Europe in promoting human rights, democracy and freedom of expression. He also commended the intensive engagement conducted by the Council of Europe to promote a political solution to the current crisis in Ukraine. Mr. Rasmussen stressed the right of people to engage in peaceful demonstrations and urged that further efforts to reach a political settlement in Ukraine were needed.
NATO and the Council of Europe are based on the same fundamental values. All European NATO Allies are member states of the Council of Europe. Canada and the United States have observer status. Current staff-level consultations between NATO and the Council of Europe are mainly focused on issues relating to cyber governance and counter-terrorism.
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