Wednesday, July 10, 2024 - US President Joe Biden awarded the United States’ highest civilian honor to NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg in remarks marking the alliance’s 75th anniversary.
On Tuesday night, July 9, Biden gifted the Norwegian
diplomat with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise ceremony kicking
off this week’s NATO summit.
“So much of the progress we
made in the alliance is thanks to the secretary – he’s a man of integrity and
intellectual rigor, calm temperament in a moment of crisis, a consummate
diplomat who works with leaders across the political spectrum and always finds
a way to keep his moving forward,” Biden said.
In 2023, Biden asked Stoltenberg to extend his tenure as
NATO secretary general an additional year, citing Russia’s ongoing war in
Ukraine.
The former Norwegian prime minister has served in the role
since 2014. Former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was formally selected as the
next NATO secretary general in late June and will begin the job on October 1.
“I realized – I was talking
to your wife, I personally asked you to extend your service, forgive me, that
you put your own plans on hold. When the Russian war in Ukraine began, you
didn’t hesitate,” Biden told Stoltenberg Tuesday.
“Today, NATO is stronger,
smarter, more energized than when you began. A billion people across Europe and
North America – indeed the whole world – will reap the rewards of your labor
for years to come.”
Biden, himself a recipient of the medal when he was vice
president to Barack Obama, most recently awarded the Medal of Freedom to 19
Americans spanning decades of accomplishments in athletics, politics and civil
rights.
During his own remarks earlier in the event, Stoltenberg
urged members of the alliance to continue their support for Ukraine.
“Our alliance was created by
people who had lived through two devastating world wars,” Stoltenberg said,
“They knew only too well the horror, the suffering, and the terrible human cost
of war.”
“Russia’s war against Ukraine
is the biggest security crisis in generations,” he said, “Ukraine has showed
remarkable courage and NATO allies have provided unprecedented support.”
“The reality is there are no
cost-free options with an aggressive Russia as a neighbor. There are no
risk-free options in a war,” he said, “Remember - the biggest cost and the
greatest risk will be if Russia wins in Ukraine. We cannot let that happen.”
President Biden awards outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. pic.twitter.com/giCJO9BypC
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 9, 2024
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