Alliance has to address developments in Asia: NATO chief

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg asserted on Tuesday that the alliance has to address developments in Asia.

“NATO is a transatlantic alliance, Europe and North America. And we will remain a regional alliance. But the transatlantic region faces global threats. Security is no longer regional; security is global,” he said during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland’s winter resort of Davos.

According to him, the alliance does not regard China as an adversary but its heavy investments in modern military capabilities and behavior especially in the South China Sea, among other things, concerns NATO.

“And we also have to understand that this is not about NATO moving into Asia, but instead about the fact that China is coming close to us,” Stoltenberg said, adding: “NATO has to address what happens in Asia, not because of global security lines, but because what happens there not just for us, and vice versa.”

On the situation in Ukraine, where Russia launched a "special military operation" nearly two years ago, he said there is space for optimism as the allies are taking concrete steps to continue to build Kyiv’s military capabilities.

“At some stage Russia will understand that they're paying a too high price and sit down and agree to some kind of just peace, but we need to stand by Ukraine,” he said.

He argued that a Ukrainian victory, which could come with Western support, is the only way make Russian sit on the negotiation table.

“There are no indications that Putin is planning for peace now, but he will when he realized that he had that we will not give up that we had the military strength to support Ukraine,” the military alliance chief said.​​​​​​​