The North Atlantic Alliance Summit concludes in Brussels, with the 29 deciding to extend NATO's presence in Afghanistan, increase Member States' defense spending, call on Macedonia to join, support Geo-territorial integrity and Ukraine, the strengthening of NATO readiness in Europe and the continuation of the so-called dual approach in relations with Russia.
The 29 leaders last night discussed major global security challenges, along with the Presidents of the European Council and the Commission, including the challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Russia. NATO says it remains committed to a "dual approach to Russia: defense and dialogue". "We continue to pursue a constructive relationship when Russia's actions make this possible," he said.
The 29 members of the alliance, including the United States and Trump, have agreed that NATO embodies the vital link between Europe and North America, an alliance that guarantees security, freedom and common values, including the commitment of the CIS to defend each other.
"Our decisions at the Brussels Summit show that, as the world changes, Europe and North America stand together and act together in NATO," said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
In detail, the 29 decided to maintain their presence in Afghanistan until conditions indicate that change is appropriate and to extend funding for the security forces in the country until 2024. This will help them further develop the Special Forces and the Air Force. , as authorities continue to fight against international terrorism.
In addition, the 29 decided:
-to increase the readiness of NATO forces
- increase their capacity to transport them across the Atlantic and into Europe
Modernize the structure of the alliance, and
- set up a new business center and anti-hybrid support teams.
They also decided to strengthen NATO's contribution to the fight against terrorism:
- with a new training mission in Iraq,
With more support for Jordan and Tunisia and
With a fully operational South Center.
They made it clear that the door to NATO remains open, calling on the Skopje government to start accession talks.
"We had a very good summit," he said. "In the last two days, we have made important decisions to strengthen NATO deterrence and defense," he said.
Referring to the decisions for "fair distribution of burdens among all the Allies", the Secretary General he noted that he expected, as he had stated earlier this week, frank discussions on the sharing of burdens "and this is exactly what we had, this is what we do between friends and allies".
"All the Allies have heard President Trump's message and we understand that this American President is very serious about defense spending, and that has a clear impact," said Jens Stoltenberg.
"After years of cuts, when the Allies saved billions, they are now adding billions, and in fact, since President Trump took office, the European Allies and Canada have added an additional $ 41 billion to their defense spending." "And all the Allies are committed to significantly increasing this number, allowing US spending to be reduced," he said.
"There is a new sense of urgency because of President Trump's strong leadership in defense spending," he said.
He concluded: "NATO is good for Europe and it is good for North America - two World Wars and one Cold War have shown us that we are stronger than all together."
"The only time NATO invoked the collective defense clause in Article 5 was after the 11/XNUMX attacks on the United States," he said, noting that "as a result, hundreds of thousands of European and Canadian troops fought alongside the United States in Afghanistan." "In addition, the US presence in Europe is vital to the promotion of US power in Africa, Asia and the Middle East."
