Farewell letter from Mrs. Moon

INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT · SECRETARIAT INTERNATIONAL
Place du Petit Sablon 3
1000 Bruxelles (Belgique)
T. +32 2 504 81 55
F. +32 2 513 59 23
E. secgen@nato-pa.int
www.nato-pa.int
THE PRESIDENT
LA PRESIDENTE
228 CIR 19 E 17 December 2019
TO SECRETARIES OF DELEGATION FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ALL MEMBERS
Dear All,
You will all be aware by now that I lost my seat in the recent British election.
Losing elections is part of the rough and tumble of our lives and is to be expected, especially
in these volatile times. I accept that. My big regret is in losing the Presidency and the chance
to continue to work with you all. The friendships within the NATO PA are very dear to me and
I thank those of you who have rung and emailed. The messages have sustained me in a
painful time.
I had hoped to achieve so much in the coming year. We need the NATO PA to adapt to the
changing political world and to recognise its potential as a force to combat the instability around
us. When distrust between governments and peoples grow personal relationships and
contacts become ever more important. This is a major strength of the NATO PA, our capacity
to listen from the personal perspective with respect and common purpose.
Our work welcoming new members with increasingly diverse political views across Europe and
providing insight into the world of defence and security, from every perspective is important.
The capacity to draw on the expertise of those returning to the NATO PA from Ministerial office
ensured a depth of knowledge and mentoring capability. Helping to launch and built our alumni
has been a great pleasure for me.
At a time when there are questions in relation to the validity of the alliance and grey zones
attacks growing our engagement with the public and young people is vital. I am pleased the
NATO PA has taken a lead in these areas.
I am sorry that I will not be able to continue strengthening our communications in the Balkans
or building on newly created links with the Pan African Parliament. There is much that I had
hoped to do to look at the NATO PA’s part in building a stronger alliance but that must now be
for new Presidents to begin.
I wish you all a most enjoyable holiday season and a rest from the rigours of the political world.
With love and best wishes to my dear friends
Madeleine Moon
NATO''s Parlamentariske Forsamling 2019-20
NPA Alm.del - Bilag 9
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