[ad_1]
The latest news on the NATO summit taking place in Brussels:
LONDON The Chinese embassy in the UK reacted strongly on Monday to the Group of Seven’s post-summit declaration denouncing China’s non-trade policies and human rights abuses.
The embassy has challenged the leaders of the world’s largest industrial nations for distorted language that slandered China and arbitrarily interfered in China’s internal affairs.
This serious violation of basic standards of international relations exposed the sinister intentions of a few countries, such as the United States, an anonymous spokesperson for the embassy said in the statement. We are strongly unhappy and strongly opposed to this.
G-7 leaders agreed to call on Beijing to respect human rights in Xinjiang, the remote western region where Chinese authorities are accused of committing serious violations of the rights of the Uyghur minority, and in the semi-autonomous city of Hong Kong.
The statement came after a push from US President Joe Biden, who wanted to persuade fellow Democratic leaders to present a more unified front in his dealings with Beijing.
BRUSSELS Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said resuming dialogue between NATO members Turkey and Greece to resolve long-standing disputes would serve stability and prosperity in the region.
Speaking at a German Marshall Fund think tank event held in the NATO headquarters complex on Monday, Erdogan lamented, however, what he said was a lack of support from the Turkish NATO allies in the fight against terrorism. It was a veiled reference to Turkey’s disappointment at US military support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are inextricably linked to a decades-long Kurdish insurgency in Turkey.
Turkey is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism in all relevant international platforms, in particular NATO, Erdogan said, adding that some 4,000 fighters from the Islamic State group had been neutralized in Turkish cross-border operations.
Turkey is the only NATO ally that fought face to face and gave its young sons martyrs for this cause, Erdogan said. Unfortunately, we have not received the support and solidarity that we expected from our allies and partners in our fight against all forms of terrorism.
Last summer, a long-standing dispute between Turkey and Greece over borders and rights to natural resources in the eastern Mediterranean resumed after Ankara sent energy research vessels to waters where Greece claims its jurisdiction.
Diplomats from the two countries have held two rounds of talks in recent months for the first time in five years, while the foreign ministers of Greece and Turkey have also made reciprocal visits.
I believe that relaunching the channels of dialogue between (Turkey) and our neighbor and ally, Greece, and resolving bilateral issues… will serve the stability and prosperity of our region, Erdogan said.
BRUSSELS President Joe Biden met with leaders of three Baltic countries at the NATO summit to reassure them of US support ahead of his summit Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva.
The White House said Biden met Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, President Egils Levits of Latvia and President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania on Monday and stressed strong US support for their security.
The White House added: The four leaders pledged to further strengthen our political, military and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address the challenges posed by Russia and China.
BRUSSELS French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted that he wanted to move forward with Turkey towards a demanding and respectful relationship, after meeting the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The two men spoke on Monday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. It was their first meeting since the dispute between the two countries peaked in October after Erdogan questioned Macron’s sanity.
Macron said he wanted all NATO allies to be clearly committed to the values, principles and rules of military organizations, according to the French presidency.
The two men discussed issues in Libya and Syria, the Elysee said. Macron notably accused Turkey of flouting its commitments by stepping up its military presence in Libya and by bringing in jihadist fighters from Syria.
Macron also stressed that French secularism respects all religions, including Islam. The French presidency said clarification was needed in response to Erdogan’s harsh criticism of Macron’s attitude towards Islam and Muslims, as the French government proposed legislation to fight radical Islamists.
BRUSSELS Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has done a not-so-subtle dig at former US President Donald Trump by welcoming Biden to NATO and back into the European fold.
This summit is a continuation of yesterday’s G7 and is part of the process of reaffirming and rebuilding the fundamental alliances of the United States which had been weakened by the previous administration, he declared. Think President Bidens’ first visit is to Europe and try to remember where President Trump’s first visit was?
“We are here to reaffirm these alliances, but also to reaffirm the importance of the European Union in all of this: a stronger European Union means a stronger NATO,” he added.
Trump’s first trip was to Saudi Arabia.
BRUSSELS British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said NATO leaders do not view China as an adversary in the same way the military organization views Russia, but must contend with the growing influence of the giants Asian.
Johnson told reporters at a NATO summit in Brussels on Monday that China is a gigantic fact in our lives and a new strategic consideration for NATO.
He says I don’t think anyone around the table today wants to slip into a new cold war with China.
He says the leaders of the 30 nation alliance see challenges, they see things that we have to deal with together, but they also see opportunities, and I think what we have to do is do it together.
NATO leaders are expected to endorse a statement later setting out their views on China and how its growing influence and the security challenges it poses should be handled.
BRUSSELS President Joe Biden reaffirms the United States’ commitment to the NATO Mutual Defense Pact as he makes his first visit to the alliance since taking office.
After meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shortly after arriving at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Biden said the United States accepts Article 5, which guarantees that an attack on a country in the NATO is seen as an attack on all, as a sacred obligation.
He adds: I just want all of Europe to know that the United States is here. The United States is there.
Biden said the alliance is essential for America and said he was eager to discuss Russia and China’s challenges with other leaders at the one-day summit.
BRUSSELS Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has said NATO allies are looking to put the past behind them, after four stormy years under the Trump administration and infighting among member countries.
De Croo said on Monday at a NATO summit coming out of a turbulent time, where we had major disagreements on a lot of things that are really the basis of this alliance.
He says I think now we are ready to move on.
Trump has regularly berated other NATO countries for not spending enough on defense and even threatened to pull the United States out of the world’s largest security organization.
Quarrels have also brewed between Turkey, France and Greece over aggressive Turkish military actions in the Mediterranean and controversial Ankara energy exploration work in the waters off Cyprus.
BRUSSELS German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Russian disinformation is an issue that will be discussed at the NATO summit on Monday.
Merkel said upon arriving at the meeting that hybrid challenges are a growing problem – cyber attacks, and especially in Russia’s view, of course, disinformation campaigns. She added that many NATO allies, including Germany, are affected.
Merkel said the summit will also discuss the situation in Ukraine, where we see great challenges, of course, and the situation in Belarus.
US President Joe Biden will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva later this week.
BRUSSELS NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the 30-country military alliance aims to put aside Trump-era divisions and focus on security challenges posed by Russia and China .
Stoltenberg says NATO leaders meet on Monday at a pivotal moment for our alliance, and today usher in a new chapter in our transatlantic relationship.
His remarks in Brussels came before he chaired a first NATO summit involving US President Joe Biden.
NATO was agitated for four years under President Donald Trump. Many allies are hoping to gain assurances from Bidens that the United States will support them in times of conflict.
Stoltenberg said the leaders are also keen to reaffirm NATO’s two-track approach to Russia involving military deterrence, such as the deployment of alliance troops to the Baltic states and Poland, and dialogue.
After a series of meetings in Brussels, including with EU leaders, Biden is heading to Geneva on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Stoltenberg played down the level of tensions with China, but said NATO should take a firmer approach to Beijing.
He says that we are not entering a new cold war and that China is not our adversary, not our enemy. But we must face together as an alliance the challenges that China’s rise poses to our security.
FOX28 Spokane
[ad_2]
picture credit