NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has called for "a new transatlantic deal," based on stronger economic, cultural and people-to-people ties; a wider engagement with the rest of the world; and an even deeper security cooperation.
He made the call after receiving the prestigious US Atlantic Council's Distinguished International Leadership Award for his service both as NATO Secretary General and as Prime Minister of Denmark on Wednesday.
At the dinner and awards ceremony, attended by around 800 international guests in Washington DC, the NATO Secretary General called on Europe and North America "to do more with each other, not less; to come closer, not drift apart; to turn outwards, not inwards."
"The transatlantic relationship is vital for the freedom, security and prosperity of Europe and North America and it provides the bedrock of the rules-based global order," Rasmussen said in accepting the award.
Rasmussen said that the bonds that were forged with the creation of NATO over 60 years ago had to be revitalized to meet new security challenges, stressing that "we must continue to invest in NATO and we must all shoulder a fair share of the burden just as we all share in the benefits."
Every spring the Atlantic Council of the United States hosts a distinguished international leadership award ceremony to Honor selected individuals for their leadership as pillars of the transatlantic community. This award is the highest Honor granted by the Atlantic Council. This year, Hillary Clinton also received a Distinguished International Leadership Award.
On Thursday, the NATO Secretary General is visiting US Cyber Command, to meet General Keith B. Alexander, Commander US Cyber Command, and other senior US officials. In response to the rapidly growing cyber threats, Allied leaders decided at the 2010 Lisbon Summit to bolster NATO's cyber defense efforts.
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