site.btaNATO Chief Stresses NATO's Deepening Cooperation with Indo-Pacific, EU Partners

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Thursday underlined the "strong and deepening cooperation" between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners and the European Union. Stoltenberg was speaking at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State and Government, Indo-Pacific Partners - Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand - and the European Union in Washington. D.C.

Together with its partners, NATO "will address our shared security challenges, including Russia’s war against Ukraine, China’s support for Russia’s war economy, and the growing alignment of authoritarian powers," the Secretary General said. He called for closer cooperation "to preserve peace and protect the rules-based international order".

In a declaration adopted at their meeting on the sidelines of the NATO Summit on Wednesday, the Allied Heads of State and Government expressed concern over the rapprochement between Russia and China and condemned Beijing's support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "The deepening strategic partnership between Russia and the People’s Republic of China’s and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut and reshape the rules-based international order, are a cause for profound concern," the document reads.

At the same time, NATO leaders highlighted the importance of the Indo-Pacific region, noting that developments there have direct implications for security in the Euro-Atlantic region.

At a press conference after Wednesday’s meeting of the North Atlantic Council, the alliance's highest decision-making body, Stoltenberg also criticized Beijing.

The 32 NATO allies have for the first time labeled China as “a decisive enabler” of Russia's war against Ukraine, the Secretary General pointed out, adding that the Alliance is sending a very clear message.

NATO's Indo-Pacific partners, Japan and South Korea, have also expressed concern about ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.

China predictably lashed back at the Alliance's declaration, with a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accusing NATO of seeking security at the expense of others.

The third and final day of the NATO summit in Washington was devoted to foreign relations. Talks with Indo-Pacific partners were followed by a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council with the participation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.