NATO and EU sign declaration of cooperation

A joint declaration between NATO and the European Union (EU) was signed to increase cooperation against Russia and China, continue supporting Ukraine and take cooperation between the two parties to the next level.

The joint statement was signed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel at a ceremony held at NATO headquarters. .

In the new text prepared on the basis of the declarations previously signed in 2016 and 2018, it was stated that NATO-EU cooperation is based on common values, that today the Euro-Atlantic region faces the greatest threat in recent years and that the Russia’s war in Ukraine is a violation of international law. . Russia’s aggression was strongly condemned in the statement, which was called “Russia’s war undermines security and stability in Europe and the world.”

NATO and the EU called on the Russian administration to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine, emphasizing that support for Ukraine is and will continue.

CHINA ALSO MENTIONED

In the statement, which noted that authoritarian actors are testing the interests of NATO and the EU, “We live in a period of increasing strategic competition. “China’s growing assertiveness and policies present challenges that we must address.” In the statement, it was stated that the fragile and unstable situation in Europe prepared the right ground for strategic rivals and terrorist organizations.

Emphasizing the importance of ties with the United States in that period, the statement noted that NATO forms the basis of collective defense in the Euro-Atlantic region, stating that the importance of “a stronger European defense” was recognized and that it should be complementary to NATO.

In the press conference held after the signing ceremony, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the EU and NATO are determined to take their partnership to the next level in the face of growing geostrategic competition.

EU Commission President von der Leyen also said that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, cooperation between the EU and NATO has already developed. Expressing that they will increase pressure on countries that provide military support to Russia and the Kremlin, von der Leyen stated that they will expand sanctions against Belarus and Iran in this context. (AA)