He was a good friend, said Chancellor Merkel of her guest Jens Stoltenberg. The former Norwegian Prime Minister is head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at a time when the Alliance is facing big challenges.

Merkel and Stoltenberg met in the Chancellery to prepare the NATO Summit in Warsaw. The Alliance will be meeting in the Polish capital on 8/9 July to discuss security policy issues. According to Merkel, another important topic up for discussion will be how NATO intends to adapt to the changing security situation in Europe.

Resolutions consistently implemented

"The forthcoming summit will lay important groundwork as regards threats from the east and from the south," said the Chancellor at her joint press conference with Stoltenberg after their meeting.

At the last NATO summit in Wales in 2014 the Alliance resolved to make important changes. The measures adopted there had been consistently implemented, said Merkel. "We want this next summit to again send out the signal that we stand together with resolve ."

Relations with Russia

Germany had made a substantial contribution to the adaptation process on which agreement had been reached in Wales, the Chancellor said. Measures included increased presence in the Baltic Sea region, with the German Air Force taking part in the Baltic Air Policing mission and a battalion being deployed in the Baltic States and in Poland. "And we will be stepping up our involvement in this area," the Chancellor assured the media.

Merkel said that Germany had always backed the NATO-Russia Founding Act and would continue to do so. She hoped that a further meeting of the NATO-Russia Council would take place before the summit in Warsaw.

Threats from the south

Many of our threats come from the south, said Merkel, including Islamist terrorism, fragile states and civil war. "We will see what we can do to possibly step up our commitment in this area as well," the Chancellor said.

Angela Merkel thanked the Secretary General for NATO's rapid response and activities in the Aegean Sea. She emphasised how important the NATO mission was in fighting human trafficking and smuggling.

Other activities were also being planned within the Alliance, she said, including initial and further training options in Iraq as well as further measures to combat the routes used by people smugglers and traffickers in the Mediterranean region. Merkel and Stoltenberg also discussed the need to stay engaged in Afghanistan as well as future defence spending.

Germany's role in NATO

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg once more underlined Germany's special role, saying it was at the heart of Europe and of the NATO Alliance. "Germany has made outstanding contributions to NATO operations in Afghanistan, in Kosovo, as part of the Baltic Air Policing mission, as well as in NATO's new high-readiness joint task force," he said.

Stoltenberg added that this was a clear demonstration that Germany was willing to take on a leadership role.

Planned presence in the east

Another important topic of the forthcoming summit is increased presence in the eastern part of the Alliance. Germany is ready to be a framework nation, a lead nation, when NATO takes steps to enhance its forward presence. "We are strengthening our collective defence, not to provoke a conflict but to prevent a conflict," said Stoltenberg. NATO was striving for a more constructive relationship with Russia and to keep channels for political dialogue open, the Secretary General said.