NATO chief says balance of power rapidly shifting in Indo-Pacific

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) – The NATO chief on Tuesday said the balance of power is rapidly shifting in the Indo-Pacific.

Speaking at a joint press conference after a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in the Japanese capital Tokyo, Jens Stoltenberg said: “The world is at a historical inflection point in the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II.”

Arguing that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific is closely connected, he reiterated that this state of affairs requires further strengthening of the cooperation between Japan and the alliance.

NATO and Japan are of the view that a unilateral change of status quo by force or coercion is not acceptable anywhere in the world, he remarked.

Stoltenberg emphasized that the alliance strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force or coercion in the East China Sea and warned about the expansion of China’s military capabilities.

“With regard to China's rapid strengthening of its military capabilities and expansion of military activities, we strongly encourage China to improve transparency and to cooperate constructively with international efforts for arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation,” he added.

Stoltenberg said the alliance’s position on Taiwan remains unchanged, calling for a peaceful resolution to the problem.

About North Korea, he said: “We urge North Korea to fully comply with all relevant UN Security Council resolutions and to abandon its nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs, and any other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”