22nd March 2021
No country in the modern world can alone face the many security challenges of today – from climate change to pandemics, transnational crime to cyber-attacks. We all need partners and friends. We all need the chance to improve ourselves through cooperation. That’s what a relationship with NATO offers. And the nature of that relationship is […]
3rd October 2019 Skopje, North Macedonia
Last week, I travelled only a short distance from Skopje to visit Veles. It was a packed day as there was a lot to discuss and a lot of people to see and meet. Although Veles has a rich cultural history, our conversations were focussed on its future. Mayor Ace Kocevski talked about his plans […]
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4th April 2019 Stockholm, Sweden
Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The Alliance was founded in the aftermath of the Second World War by a group of European and North American countries, united by their desire to create a lasting peace in Europe. Much has changed in the world since 1949. Security threats are more diverse […]
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10th September 2017 Skopje, North Macedonia
I spent Macedonia’s Independence Day climbing Bushava mountain, a stunningly beautiful peak near Krushevo with 360-degree views. I wasn’t alone – some 200 of us had joined up at the invitation of the Ministry of Defence and the NATO Liaison Office in Skopje. In inviting us to Krushevo, they were looking for a different way […]
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28th July 2017 Skopje, North Macedonia
When Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, met Prime Minister Zaev and Foreign Minister Dimitrov in Trieste at the Western Balkan Summit, he was impressed with their energy and determination to make changes and their readiness to take bold steps. He welcomed their commitment to tackle reform challenges at home, to reset relations with neighbours and to re-energise Macedonia’s NATO and EU prospects. […]
5th September 2015 London, UK
This is the hashtag that thousands of people in Estonia and around Europe have been adding to their social media postings in the last few months. I’m glad to add it to my blog too. Who is Eston Kohver? He’s an Estonian security services officer, who was abducted from Estonia on 5 September last year, […]
11th May 2015 Geneva, Switzerland
Grahame Greene’s novel about Geneva ignores it, focusing instead on the nasty foibles of the very rich. And if they mention it at all, modern novelists writing about Geneva use the UN at best as a backdrop for international intrigue but more often as a metaphor for international impotence. For someone preparing to take up […]
15th December 2014
The UK’s fourteen Overseas Territories add a particular dimension to British foreign policy and our world view. I often write in these pages about the global Holy See network. The United Kingdom has long had, and still retains, a global role, of which our fourteen Overseas Territories are both one result and an ongoing manifestation. […]
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8th October 2014 London, UK
The UK was extremely proud to host world leaders at the NATO Summit on 4-5 September. The people of Newport were delighted to welcome the world to Wales to showcase their beautiful country. This was a moment when the UK, Turkey and 26 other NATO Allies could come together and show that we were united. […]
4th September 2014 Brasilia, Brazil
This week Wales hosts the NATO Summit, the largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in Britain. I grew up in the east of England under the deep shadow of the Cold War. Throughout my teenage years the risk of armed conflict between the Warsaw Pact and NATO seemed very close and very […]
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