you know. this is debut new sly for berlin germany reaffirms its commitment to international cooperation as heads of state and government arrive at the annual munich security conference germany's foreign minister says he wants to double down on his nation's commitment to the international border we'll have live coverage of the. also coming up india's prime minister narendra modi plaints pakistan for a massive car bombing and threatens a crushing response to the attack killed dozens of india's paramilitary police in the disputed region of kashmir.

i'm sumi so much going to it's good to have you with us germany's foreign minister has reaffirmed his country's commitment to international cooperation was speaking as heads of state and government arrived in the german city of munich for the annual conference focused on diplomacy and peace now the hotel by the show whole thing is the venue for three days of debate and closed door meetings the event will be attended by an unprecedented number of international decision makers including the largest u.s. delegation after a multitude of international organizations will also be represented including the world bank the u.n. and the international monetary fund. and we have a whole team of correspondents covering the secure. the conference for us with us

here in our studio is that max. and at the munich security conference we have simon young standing by for us right now saima let's start with you as the conference is getting underway there now the splintering of the international world order that is something that a shape the conference in the past few years again is a big topic there what can we look forward to this weekend. or sumi i think that he's going to be the central issue at this conference which she's the world's largest defense and security conference bringing together heads of state and prime ministers presidents foreign ministers defense ministers from more than one hundred countries it's a huge sort of festival of defense and security thinking in a lot of these control the seas particularly the concerns about the united states and unilateral policies that the trumpet ministration of espoused those will be

concerns one thinks of the i.n.f. treaty the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty that it's all about really the balance between the declared nuclear powers america canceling that russia following suit huge concerns over that but also of a policy on iran over the nuclear deal or america's ambition to really put the frighteners and the thumbscrews on terror on by ramping up economic sanctions and afghanistan too on the agenda for sure with again the united states raising concerns by suggesting it might pull out troops there quicker than some of the other nato allies are ready to do so those are just a very few of the many issues being discussed here in munich all right a range of issues on the agenda there this weekend simon and we are expecting the german and the british defense ministers to open the conference with remarks what do you. we're going to hear from them. well for sure they will be setting out

their priorities but also i imagine referring to the challenges the the elephant in the room if you like breaks it the concerns that britain leaving the european union could leave europe's defense architecture somewhat leaderless and less structured than it has been in the past because the british say they will remain solid within within the other forms of defense cooperation but there are shore concerns about that but other issues as well as for instance migration which is of course a lot of headlines in recent years here in europe and i think that's an area where cooperation between britain but also between all the other e.u. countries. easy important because it's just a strategic issue that in a way threats threatens european security one thinks of terrorism concerns and so

on but there might be other things on the agenda for sure and right now max coming to you now we heard simon there outlining the myriad challenges security challenges facing europe facing many of its partners the rest of the world as well germany is the host here which security challenges do you think germany is really looking to address this weekend when we certainly interesting to observe how germany will establish itself as a negotiator and pasta alliance with the countries the gas that are coming to munich and how it sees its role in the world in the global will deliver there's always been the quest or the question to germany to establish itself more to be more ex extroverts have to be more outspoken on political foreign policy issues and we interesting to see how germany will be for moten for example as the german chancellor has alluded to the idea of multilateralism and how german spokesperson will be speaking about that and also of course how germany wants. to help on the

issues that simon has just toss a bone for example to renegotiate the i.n.f. treaty and how germany wants to promote its certain values like the multilateralism within the alliances like nato so multilateralism a cooperation very key to germany's aims here french president manuel mccall was expected to attend he had to withdraw his attendance how big of a blow is that for germany and for the other heads of state in government who are attending well i think it's certainly a blow for the organizers of the munich security conference who have been trying to get both the french president monochrome the german chancellor angela merkel to come and do a joint event of the munich security conference for two years already it's the last year that didn't happen because germany at the time didn't have a functioning government yes and so the then acting chance the german chancellor angela merkel couldn't come on that perspective and this year french president amount of a crime has just last week announced that he would not attend the conference because of domestic issues as we know this ongoing protests in france the yellow

west's protests have been ongoing and he has said he has put his attention to this gold so it's been seen as an issue because the joint appearance of french president german chancellor was seen as kind of a signal of a joint to europe and some see this as a sign for europe being fragmented a sort of overlying topic of the mideast conference and also of the german french alliance the german french motos it's often called being slowed down and the german french friendship maybe being not as strong as it was but as we said there we are awaiting the german defense minister and also the british defense secretary they will be giving opening remarks in a few minutes we'll be listening in live to those in max welcome back to you and to simon and just a few minutes thanks for your analysis. let's take a look at our other top story now india's prime minister narendra modi has warned pakistan to expect what he called a crushing response to a car bomb attack on a. military convoy they killed more than forty indian paramilitary police the

bombing outside srinagar in indian administered kashmir is the worst attack in the divided region in decades india says it has clear evidence of pakistan's involvement. the first pictures from the blast site show confusion and devastation security officials say it was a kashmiri militant who rammed an explosive laden van into a bus carrying indian soldiers. the attack took place on a key highway on the outskirts. in indian controlled kashmir and the bus was part of a larger convoy at least five other vehicles were badly damaged in the blast police immediately launched an investigation. but despite the inspectors caution authorities blamed rebels fighting against indian rule the militant group jaish

e mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack and local media has named the driver as. a commando a known militant indian prime minister narendra modi after observing two minutes of silence for the victims squared up to islamabad by suggesting pakistan was harboring those behind the deadliest bombing in three decades. that are these ideas that are to follow a neighboring country thinks that it will succeed in creating instability through such some conspiracy in our country. but you should stop dreaming. what got the end of it and why they will never succeed. but islamabad strongly rejected quote any insinuation that seeks to link the attack to the state of pakistan without investigations whatever claims or accusations india and pakistan's tribal ties risk taking a dangerous new turn. channel shams from didn't you asia is

following this story for us he's currently at the munich security conference which is kicking off today so india's prime minister narendra modi has warned of a crushing response what does that mean could this go as far as india actually taking a military action against pakistan. well india claimed in the past that it carried out a surgical strike it is likely that it could do the same thing again but pakistan denied that such an attack took place but at the moment after the attack the deadliest attack in the region india indian authorities pretty angry and they believe they have been saying for the past three decades that the kashmir separatist movement is not peaceful it has been militarized over the years independent experts say i think it puts pakistan in a pretty awkward position and that it strengthens india's narrative that the

kashmir separatist movement is not peaceful. channel the accusation here is that the pakistani government is actually directly supporting terrorist groups like the one that has claimed responsibility for this attack is there anything to that is the true. one the slower denies these allegations they're denying that they support militant islamists in kashmir the disputed region there denying that the supposed to militants in afghanistan and. but critics say also quite a lot of independent experts say that the pakistan's military the military which calls the shots in the country they kind of use of these proxy jihad just to create instability in of gone stand and india administrate kashmir so it is very difficult do to independently verify these claims the indian claims pakistan denies these

claims but u.s. also washington and. the e.u. believe many officers have said. pakistan could be behind supporting harboring islamist out of this sham of this comes really at a crucial time for india to ahead of big elections this break how important is it for narendra modi to take a really tough line with pakistan here. well i was a speaking to some analysts before coming to this show and. the populist prime minister of india could use this attack to increase his support ahead of the election which i should do to take place in may all june so despite the modi government were to use these. dark do kind of in the election the opposition parties in india are also supporting the government they certainly are

unified in all response to their deadlier duck. reporting for us there at the munich security conference thank you so much. thanks for having spain's prime minister pedro sanchez has called a snap general election after his budget was rejected by parliament the poll will be on april twenty eighth and will be spain's third election in less than four years sanchez's budget was voted down in parliament on wednesday his minority socialist government needed the backing of catalan separatist parties to get the budget a premier but they withdrew their support in protest against the trial of cattle on politicians accused of sedition sanchez said he preferred giving spaniards their say instead of continuing without a budget. having a choice between two options to do nothing in continue without a budget or call an election and give up on us the choice i choose the second

option spain has to continue moving forward progress must continue from the basis of tolerance and respect with moderation and common sense excluding inflammatory politics growing and generating quality jobs but if you listen now to some other stories making news around the world a new report estimates that four hundred twenty million children are living in conflict affected areas that is a fifth of all children worldwide of the study was commissioned by the international charity save the children it also said that verify cases of what the report calls a grave violations against her children and twenty seven thousand were the highest ever recorded. british prime minister teresa mayes says she is continuing to try and secure a revised deal with brussels on britain's exit from the european union on thursday may suffered another major parliamentary defeat after lawmakers voted against

a motion supporting her approach to breaks it appropriates that m.p.'s in the prime minister's own party abstained from the vote saying she's moving in the wrong direction. thousands of brazilian soccer fans have paid tribute to the victims of a fire that killed ten young players of the some men go football club the state championship match was the first game played by flamingo since last week's deadly blaze police are still investigating the cause of the fire. all right let's return now to our coverage of the annual munich security conference that's just getting under way world leaders on hand to discuss some of the biggest political and security challenges and our correspondent has been looking in of course to some of those issues that germany and the rest of the world are looking at this weekend in munich. a little while earlier we're talking about multilateralism about cooperation and especially in terms of defense and security that is something that is very important to germany that type of cooperation on an

international level yet the question is who are germany's partners right now beyond your of because there's been a lot of friction with the u.s. specifically on questions of defense and security yes we have seen a lot of friction between germany and the united states in the nation in the president the treaty organization where both the members off and what has happened in the last years is that u.s. president donald trump has been criticizing germany for not keeping up with the agreement that was made in two thousand and fourteen in wales that each of the members of the nato should. have their. military budgets to two percent of their g.d.p. by two thousand and twenty twenty four and jimmy's currently at one point two four cents and has committed now to do one point five percent until twenty twenty four and for the united states that is not enough they say germany needs to do more and they consider germany's a lack of increasing its military budget as

a lack of commitment or germany on their hands saying we're committing on other side we're not only commenting on our military budget but we also committing in the way we contribute to nato missions in for example the baltics where germany's taking the lead and patrolling the baltic airspace in estonia for example and also in other nato missions around the world germany itself has also admitted that it hasn't spent as much as it could have perhaps in the past on defense it is trying to increase to get to the two percent but how realistic is it for germany to reach that goal and satisfy the u.s. satisfy the trump administration well it's unrealistic in the sense that germany already has said they're not going to go any further than one point five percent by twenty twenty four and it's difficult because germany's g.d.p. is continues the increasing so by increasing the g.d.p. . that would mean that germany also have to increase its defense budgets continuously aren't going to jump in here max because the german defense minister was last underlined has just arrived at let's listen to her remarks at the munich

security conference excellence is my. experience these ladies and gentlemen honest . things will have so much for this very. program by addition to that you have put together this year is again please allow me to switch to english for a moment to say that it is my distinct pleasure to inaugurate this year's conference with my colleague from the united kingdom kevin williamson there is no better place there is no better time to underline the friendship between our two countries germany and the u.k. stand together shoulder by shoulder as i was soldiers to have every day in their missions are typhoons and euro fighters are patrolling the baltic skies we need to win we have agreed to deepen our partnership even for them especially in the

context of brags that we signed our joint vision statement in october in germany and i'm looking forward to our meeting in oxford at the end of the next month minded on one town. and gentlemen this if we had living in a time where we had no need to have apartments of apartments matter we are currently witnessing major changes in terms of technological progress climate change and just tribulation of wealth and prosperity and when it comes to the global balance of power. all these changes that we experience they do bear uncertainty but at the same time many opportunities all nations are currently striving to find partners to help them harness opportunities and at the same time to protect their citizens from the risks that they also entail. no nation can successfully do this so at national level we need to see corporation all of us

do not some by china for example is pushing on. road project russia is pushing the eurasian union and germany is determined to strengthen it and the european union. but the fundamental difference lies lies in the way we approach this visits and i'm not trying to get me to injure you when we seek true real partnership. our partnership is not built on domination kind does not create political or economic dependence on my partnership makes us stronger in the field and it increases our suffering. because in our partnership interests are consistent with our values and that may well to some. the world is a zero sum game. and we see the opportunity for growing together

and minds are prospering together in those partnerships. now this is widely decent gentleman need to remains. our first choice when it comes to. our security. in the not doesn't yet i know i for and need to we're worth to it have much other than just mere partners we're allies some of because every single one of us stands firmly by the commitment to lead down in article five and because we stand by the weakest among our allies just as we stand by the strongest of our allies just like we did for the first and so for the only time after nine eleven and because to me is more than just a military alliance to see to it is a political alliance god it is a political and as a political alliance. neuer haue state in the beer feast of ways and what is a prominent feature of the new security situation and the return of great power

competition. in the family competition for our american friends i recognize that early on. and we need to understand this we realize whether we want it or not germany and europe are part of this competition we are not neutral you still have to reside. with human dignity and enough when you side with to democracy in russia and the rule of law this is exactly what nato has stood for in the past seventy years not to be to fund less nato offices reliability in a world that has become more and more unpredictable and in order for this to stay this way now i would like to make three statements on the future of nato first of all. needs europeans need to carry more weight. the

comma should not be an american call for fear of burden sharing and you've been hearing it for years it is just a fight it's all to yes yes it will some for us it took russia's act of aggression towards eastern ukraine to change our course imo but since then all european allies tied has increased their defense spending the dutch of the titles the german defense budget has increased music so by thirty six percent since two thousand and fourteen in accordance with nato. and we do have a clear plan a bicycle with some white paper and the capability profile both to detail we've how is it going to modernize its equipment by twenty twenty four and beyond. i mean. our budget well that's ten years after wales not. with a one time for the present be able by then. it will have increased by overall

amount of eighty percent this is indeed an achievement. but at the same time we have to face the facts as we know that we have to do more. especially germany. but we are committed to the two percent target is already going to sleep and just as the german government has confirmed to nato and just as it had been laid down in our coalition agreement the o.p.o. and europe to know is has to do more months of the invasion and we have embarked on a towards a european defense union. finally we have found ways and means. to overcome the fragmentation in horrible ways we are now harmonies english planning clear mint and operational readiness this creates new common in european abilities but is a few of these capabilities also directly and some needed benefit because if

we. are more evocation us not to act united asked you about in the case of a crisis then this directly contributes to transplanting burden sharing manty function in order to be able to carry more weight. you don't have to resolve some contradiction this will be exhausting. many is in favor of adopting the majority principle in european foreign policy that is correct and that is also good but we do have to accept as well that to germany extreme positions will not always win a majority was also chuffed with our external economic policy issues. should be coordinated within europe as well or it will not be consistent. also it really it is imperative that we improve transparency concerning armaments exports we

germans shouldn't claim that we have better morals than france or that i we are more for side fall in human rights issues than the united kingdom. we have to muster the political strength to adopt my reliable and a common approach. to come to one european approach that combines our security interests and our humanitarian principles that is possible. secondly. we also have to uphold the principle of fairness in our transatlantic friendship. fairness as a principle in military burden sharing for example but also fairness in political decision making. when we go on deployments in military missions our

rule is in together out together so. that also applies to making decisions together it applies for example to the resolute support mission in afghanistan the german cabinet has extended the buddha's very mandate for another year just this week and with that we show very clearly that we stand by our responsibilities the afghan security forces they do need more advice in training in order to be able to keep the taliban at bay. therefore for us it was a good thing and very important that at nato yesterday we discussed in detail with our american partners what we do in afghanistan it is a good thing that we discussed and that any further development of the military mission is linked to the progress of the peace talks and. that decisions will be taken in light of that progress together in the alliance.

against the backdrop of all that we know that a real peace in afghanistan can only be an afghan owned an afghan that peace that means that the results of the talks with the taliban must be supported by the afghan government and of course also by the entire afghan society. taking decisions together that also has to apply to syria and iraq where almost all need two members have joined forces in fighting i still just this morning here in unique we discussed further steps in the defeat eisel core group. our mission continues the coalition against terrorism this minute mission goes on because. i still has not been fully defeated yet even though it has been defeated physically in large part. because at the same time is changing its character to build up well

organized underground networks but for us this means that our focus needs to shift as well it needs to shift from the purity military aspect more and more toward stabilization and resilience building off of a government. a new government was formed and i reckon this is good news we should together support this government during reconstruction and that during this reconstruction that all groups and if i say all groups i mean all groups sunni's shiites kurds the kurds who fought side by side with us so courageously against. at the front lines and they faced heavy losses that all of these groups including the use even use can partake equally in the reconstruction of this country this is the only way to win peace together.

another example of the fact that joining forces makes us stronger is the i.n.f. treaty. of course it was important that nato condemned the russian breach of the treaty it was right that we need to do everything in our power to preserve the substance of the treaty. it is the right thing to do to make it clear that we must respond to the increased risk posed by russian arms especially to us in europe . and it is the right thing to do. to conduct an analysis to find a smart mix of measures. to take in the event russia does not really and and one thing is sure as well the old tit for tat strategy of the one nine hundred eighty s. is not going to help us any further here and it is also certain that arms control initiatives will be an important a very important but by no means sufficient part of the measures the most important

thing for us for the next few months is that as allies we decide on the next steps together it is the only way for us to ensure credibility and also legitimacy legitimacy thirdly. as needle allies. we all must always be guided by both interests yes and also values. especially especially since we are living in times in which politics is increasingly driven by emotions and especially since we see people manipulate figures to gain power and playing fast and loose with the truth poisoning our discours this is precisely why it is so important that our actions as atlantic allies. are determined by both interests and values. and the truth as to. why we are not always successful in doing that and have not

always been successful in doing that but unlike others we want our success to be measured by whether meet we meet this high standard and of course nato is about cash capabilities and contributions. but it is also about dignity decency and dependability. and if we can merge these elements within nato well then i don't fear for the unity and the inner strength of nato of the future thank you very much. you very very much. and without further ado. to invite the governor to offer his remarks and then we'll have a discussion please. of

the. thank you so much. it's a huge privilege to attend my first munich security conference and while you will have heard this message many times this is one that we will continue to repeat for while the united kingdom is leaving the european union i want to start by saying our commitments to european security remain steadfast we have delivered european security long before the creation of either the european union or the north atlantic treaty organization and we will continue to deliver it long after we leave e.u. . prison will remain a outward looking nation will be looking at new opportunities to enhance our

bilateral relationships and take breaks as an opportunity to do more on the global stage delivering the leadership that the world so often turns to great britain to actually provide. for me one of those key actual relationships is with germany. we are proud very proud of our deep long friendship with germany two hundred and sixty years ago we fought side by side at the basle of mindon since then it is fair to say our partnership has evolved. beyond ups and downs but it has got a lot better today. today we're both defending the borders of eastern europe as part of nato enhanced forward presence we're taking on diet in the middle

east we're working together in afghanistan in mali in lithuania. with the signing of a u.k. german joint vision statement last october it was obvious to both of us that there is so much more that we can and we must achieve those two nations the fact that both of our nations are increasing our defense budgets reflects the growing threat threats that we are both facing and we mustn't forget what can be achieved by working together as two nations. as for world becomes an increasingly more dangerous and darker place. it is imperative that allies must stand together. and i know that this is

something that very clearly recognizes she has spoken of her determination to take forward greater e.u. defense cooperation and this is something that we very much welcome welcome european countries combining to develop capabilities there are available to our alliance the e.u.'s role in stabilisation and capacity building is vital and important for the future. but it's also important that the european union does not shift out known the e.u. nato allies from capability development because if it does all this it will do is weaken its own industrial base and the capabilities that he wishes to develop and nato nato needs to remain the bedrock of our security in europe. since one thousand nine hundred forty nine it has stood the

test of time it is combat proven it deter the most serious of threats so let us all support the world's most successful military alliance in history let's deal with russia's breach of the i.n.f. treaty and the threat of new russian missiles let's be ready to handle their provocations russian adventurism must have a cost. the united states has been stepping up its commitment to nato but. now i agreed with pat shanahan when we met at nato earlier this week. europeans should not be spending two percent of g.d.p. on defense for the united states we should be spending two percent of g.d.p.

on defense for ourselves for our own security and i applaud ursula's personal efforts to drive investment in german defense is a genuine and real privilege to work side by side with a colleague who is not only so personally inspiring but a lady of deep compassion and a real sense of jussi not just to her nation but to have friends and allies as well . and it is that sense of duty which means that all european nations must take responsibility for the security of our continent. this is something that the united kingdom is continuing to do is we step up our efforts in nato and nato we are ready to defend what is right

ready to fight against what is wrong and ready to lead a recent defense ministers meeting i announced the increased commitment to alliance readiness adding to our presence in a stony air with apache attack helicopters and while capture reconnaissance helicopters. and nato seventy of the air would also be hosting the nato's heads of state meeting at the end of december significantly in the next few months our u.k. led no nation joint takes positionally force will conduct its first a quorum and in the baltic sea delivering reassurance to our allies and to terence to those who wish to do is harm. and in the united kingdom we continue to increase our defense budget greasy creating a new transformation front to boost our nation's global presence and beyond forces

mass and their lethality. because nato matters more today than ever because an older diverse tree is very much back in the game thirty years since before all of the burden war and five years since to be illegal an extension of crime air russia remains a threat to our security russia's illegal activity continues unabated on land in the donbass and at sea we've assumed the seizure of ukrainian naval ships and the imprisonment of their sailors. we've seen russian recklessness and disregard for the life on the streets of britain. we have russia degrading its reputation we have search blatant disregard of

international borders and sovereignty. meanwhile russia despite its denials has clearly breached the i.n.f. treaty it has made clear it is developing more missiles and nuclear capable weapons . that break the agreement trying to goad the west into a new arms race it simply is not interested in and does not want making the world less safe place they claim they want greater security on the one hand while undermining trust on the other. the kremlin is also taking the fight into the gray zone operating without rules using espionage military political cyber economic and even criminal tools to undermine its competitors russian governmental subversion of western elections through descent from asian online

trolling and persistent cyber attacks has become its new norm. their clandestine and use of proxies and their summary armies like the infamous and unaccountable wagner group allows for kremlin to get away with murder while denying blood on their hands which is a nation who holds dear the values of democracy tolerance and justice we must not be cowed or intimidated that is why our military continues asserting its legitimate freedom of access in action across the globe deploying our forces in a measured and resolute way. and we all continue to work together to lift the veil on this behavior and always deliver a clear response for our actions must have consequences.

and we will not abandon countries russia seeks to undermine like ukraine and those in the western balkans in the cold war those behind the iron curtain look to words as a beacon of liberty now they have achieved their freedom the united kingdom will continue to help defend their right to choose their own destiny. please let me be clear this is not a relationship with russia that we want. we remain open to a different kind of relationship and the option of dialogue will always remain on the table. it is vital that we always work to avoid escalation and a virtue risks of miscalculation. and we encourage russia to start acting

within a rules based international order. to step back from the path that it's been taking and look to a new and different way. this very conference has long on a those with a vision and courage to bring an end to the cold war inspirational people such as ronald reagan margaret thatcher. george bush helmut kohl and of course mikhail gorbachev. these were patriots figures who understood strength leaders who fought for their country's interests and they understood value of been open to different kinds of relationships as we are today we hope that russia chooses a different way been inspired not by those who wish to bring fear and hate but

been inspired that those who want to bring hope and peace which as we continue to face threats an increasingly dangerous world we know that nato is very best guardian for all of our security. so for the sake of our values and friends we will continue to lead in nato will continue to build our alliances with close friends like germany will continue to deliver your appeal and security we'll continue to step out into the world protecting our friends defending our interests standing up for our values and let us never forget that the reason that we all invest in defense is to deliver a more peaceful more prosperous and more just world thank you very much thank.

i. thank you very much we have about fifteen minutes or so for questions if you could do me a favor. by identify yourselves i know most but certainly they are all of you and if you could also please when you ask your question indicate whether it's a question to both panelists or only one of them the first question goes to president. thank you thank you for wonderful speeches and i have a question to both of you actually you're both we have the framework nations and by here regularly from the military leadership of the of the child's harry's officers from france belgium germany elsewhere how much they have learned from this experience what conclusions have you been able to draw from the deployment over the

last couple of years now at the political level where might we take you have been the future and the second half of the same question both to you as well is this room is full of in tankers and journalists and they very often ask from us yes on technical level nato is ready to act tonight is the political level ready i hear you i know you are ready but what more could you do to convince those suspicious people of whom there are many today here as well that indeed we will not drag our feet thank you and you so much for that question it's a big one and arms forward presence. it has been. enormous. positive experience for us first of all and one forward presence you are in estonia we are in lists when you're our canadian friends are in

a lot of our american friends are in poland and aunts forward presence first of all for germany and it was a. incredibly valuable experience to see how brilliant the not only the corporation the military operation is but also how wonderful hosts that with when young people are and it added enormously to a an auld but now again growing friendship between our two countries second point we are there as a framework nation with ten others european nations so for interoperability working together for training together we are integrated in the i rules brigade of leith one year it is a huge step forward and tremendous amount of experiences for servicemen and for that service women on the military interoperability level is added for them too and

the third point is it is enormous to see what an amount of self and reassurance of brings along i've not only been visiting two weeks ago our troops in harms forward presence and list when your but also our air policing. in the baltic skies and the way it boosters the self assurance and the knowledge that we stand together and annie square sente meter that might be attacked the whole thirty nations of nato stand together you can feel it you can sense it on an everyday basis when you're there and this would be my second. or my answer to your second question immediately only by acting only by concrete experience every single day we reassure ourselves and we tighten the will that article five collective defense is the center of nato.

thank you very much. so i could have to say we could have better hosts in the estonians which wouldn't surprise you and and. we've been made incredibly welcome but what we've learned his actually the need not just to talk about terrence but actually deliver it and delivering it on the ground and actually it does take investments and it takes time and it takes integration for this to work incredibly well and as tony of for us has been searcher wonderful learning experience of how we integrate our forces with the estonian armed forces and we've learnt so much for. exercising with them working alongside and it has actually reminded us of some of the lessons that we learnt during the cold war but maybe have actually slightly forgotten jury more recent conflicts in iraq and

afghanistan so we've found that it's been so incredibly valuable in their ability when i go around the u.k. and ice beat different regiments they all want to get posted to estonia so i think half the british army would like to come and join you at some point so. but when you raise the important point it's about politics as well and it's about showing the solidarity that we have in the united kingdom and all nato nations to acts in defense of one another and that is something that i've never had a moment's doubt that we would do and that is be true strength of the alliance that is what makes it the most successful military alliance over the last seventy years that's why nations such as estonia latvia lithuania poland and so many more wanted to join us as soon as they were free from the u.s.s.r.

and that is why it will be so successful in the future. thank you very much there was a question here is. the boutique over with the police. thank you very sank you very much just to go you've been watching our coverage of the munich security conference which as i got underway at the german defense minister as a laugh underlined there kicking things off as she was followed by the british defense secretary geffen william from williamson and we saw her there asking some questions to both of them hosting a panel there we have our correspondents still with us. and simon young in you next time and of course you were also listening in to both of the remarks there both funday line and williamson stressing the importance of nato first nato as the bedrock of defense of common defense why do you why is it so important to reiterate that. well i think because of all the of the threats that nato

faces and the destabilization that we've already mentioned in particular emanating from washington president trump has raised concerns about the whether nato is really fit for purpose in the modern age is used the word obsolete he's even cause some to question whether he's going to you know doubt article five of the principle of a common security and common action in fact in support of all nato allies if there are threats and that's the really the very heart of the article of faith and. so trump has called these things into question nato is saying no we must stand together that's a message coming from many u.s. politicians as well and these two defense ministers here i think making as you say very loud sort of a song of praise for nato gabbing williamson called it the most successful military

alliance in history and he said it's needed. now more than ever the world has become a darker place but on the german defense minister said you know it must be an alliance of capabilities and the americans are right to criticize the europeans and say they need to contribute more and they said they're trying to do that but she also said that it must be nature must be about values about human dignity and defending what's right and that was a message of the british defense minister echoed as well so these two very much on message about the importance of nato and the fact that it should stand up for values and democracy at a time simon as you said were a lot of challenges tearing out the fabric of the unity of nato max coming to you we we heard a president a question there from the estonian president kaya live asking ok we've heard that nato is militarily ready what about politically what is the answer to that well again that comes back to the question of them how much faith are the members of

nato putting into each other into five the commitments to article five that we've just heard from simon to be explained and of course both the united kingdom and germany are part of the presence that the lithuanian so that is so new president toss upon germany is taking a lead role on that hosler presence in lithuania while the u.k. is doing that in this tonia and both have been talking about how they have been received in these countries as the nato mission the nato mission leaders there and it was quite interesting to hear how they say well we've course here from these baltic states that they're rary thankful for their commitment but the other question is how much backup how much support are these countries germany and education getting in their domestic politics for the military engagement we know that germany for example is a very has a lot of resistance in the public to what's mitigation and the u.k. as we know is kerney quite busy with backs and so discussions about further

military gauge and the united kingdom's are also quite calm. and one more question to you mark so we heard a lot on the line there speaking about values and interests what was she getting out there so that is especially about coming back to the. question that trump is always putting forward is that it is about the cash the commitment to the defense budget and on the line has been saying repetitively in the last weeks no it's also about that political alliance that we're having about the value about the multilateralism and about it's a rule based system that we all agreed on and that nato is built on all right max kosik with us here in our studio assignment young and been covering the munich security conference for us in munich us thank you both for analysis will of course be talking to both of you through the course of the day and this weekend. and he's offering virtually nonstop coverage of the munich security conference on our website go to debbie dot com where you'll find a live stream and updates and we'll be tracking major news from the conference

right here on t.v. throughout the three days gathering we'll be right back in just a few minutes with more news.

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