Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway who has led NATO since 2014, will hand over the office to Dutch ex-Prime Minister Mark Rutte on October 1.
Sharing what he described as five key takeaways from his time in office, Stoltenberg said: “The second lesson is that freedom is more important than free trade.”
He added: “The third lesson is that military strength is a prerequisite for dialogue... By giving Ukraine more weapons, we can make Putin realize he cannot get what he wants by force.”
‘Military power has its limits’
Stoltenberg said that his fourth lesson is that “military power has its limits.” He mentioned Afghanistan, noting that despite America’s 20-year presence there, the country is now controlled by the Taliban.
“The lesson learned is that the purpose of any future military operation outside NATO territory must be clearly defined.
“My fifth and final lesson, and the most important one. We must never take the bond between Europe and North America for granted. NATO is not written in stone, it is a result of deliberate choices and political will,” he said.
He also reflected on how much the world has changed in recent years.
“We have seen Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, the rise of ISIS, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, growing competition with China, the Covid pandemic, more sophisticated cyber attacks and the increasing impact of climate change on our security,” he said.
