The Partnership Training and Education Centres (PTEC) Marketplace is taking place on 7 and 8 November 2023 at NATO Headquarters. This annual gathering brings together a network of training centres and institutions in Allied and partner countries to exchange ideas, expertise, and cutting-edge solutions in military education and training.
Representatives of the PTEC community's 34 centres, from Columbia to Mongolia, were present at the NATO Headquarters for the opening. In his opening remarks, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană thanked the PTECs for their "hard work and exceptional contribution to our Alliance." He stressed that education and training are our best instruments to foster stability and resilience. "Because the threats we face are becoming more numerous and more complex, your constant support remains essential to ensure that our cooperation with our partners has a long lasting impact for their security, but also for our own security," Mr. Geoană told PTEC representatives.
In his remarks, the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak also paid special tribute to the Ukrainian participants, including a group of military cadets; veterans attending the Games of Heroes sports competition; and representatives of the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre, which was bombed, last year, during Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the Military Police Training Centre. "I am confident that Ukraine will achieve victory and peace will be secured, hopefully soon, and the full strength of Ukrainian training and education activities with NATO and Partners will resume and even be increase by the significant amount of lessons to be learned from the ongoing and terrible war", he underscored.
Faced with rising strategic competition and growing security challenges, NATO and its partners are cooperating ever more closely to better anticipate and prevent crises and conflicts, boost societal resilience, and protect their shared values. The Deputy Secretary General emphasised that PTECs provide resources that make NATO partners more interoperable, and better prepared to respond to crises. "In the last years, we have seen a growing number of PTECs being established in Partner countries, with even more Nations interested in developing additional PTECs in the future. This network helps train personnel on crisis management, operations planning, peace operations, demining, and even foreign languages. I am convinced that PTECs have great potential and capabilities, and will continue to make increasingly valuable contributions to NATO's and Partners' education and training efforts", Lieutenant General Adamczak noted.
