NATO head welcomed by Trump

Homeland April 14, 2017

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, has been welcomed to the White House by President Trump.

In a remarkable turnaround for the President, in the face of growing tensions and Trump’s repeated disdain of the organisation, he has acknowledged the importance of a strong alliance.

“I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete.”

The president was committed to a continued alliance, and acknowledged the role it has played and continues to play in security: “In the nearly seven decades since Harry Truman spoke those words, the NATO alliance has been the bulwark of international peace and security.

“This enduring partnership is rooted out of so many different things, but our common security is always number one, and our common devotion to human dignity and freedom.”

However, the President repeated his warning that member states must fulfil the financial obligations of the alliance: “In facing our common challenges, we must also ensure that NATO members meet their financial obligations and pay what they owe. Many have not been doing that. The Secretary General and I agree that other member-nations must satisfy their responsibility to contribute two per cent of GDP to defence. If other countries pay their fair share instead of relying on the United Sates to make up the difference, we will all be much more secure, and our partnership will be made that much stronger.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked the President for a ‘productive’ meeting and reiterated the commitment that NATO has between its allies.

He said: “We agree that NATO is a bedrock of security both for Europe and for the United States.

“Two World Wars and a Cold War have taught us all that peace in Europe is not only important for Europeans, but is also important for the prosperity and the security of North America.”

He continued: “A strong NATO is good for Europe, but a strong NATO is also good for the United States. And therefore I welcome the very strong commitment of the United States to the security of Europe.”

Mr Stoltenberg praised the commitment of the US in both words and deeds, with the US troops deployed into Europe, and noted that together the US and NATO ultimately have the advantage.

He assured the US President that he is just as committed to ensuring all allies met the target spend: “Fair burden sharing has been my top priority since taking office.

“We are already seeing the effect of your strong focus on the importance of fair burden-sharing in the Alliance. We agree that Allies need to redouble their efforts to meet the pledge we all made in 2014 to invest more in our Alliance.

“It is about spending more on defence. It is about delivering the capabilities we need. And it is about contributing forces to NATO missions and operations. This means cash, capabilities, and contributions.”

He noted that in the last few years NATO had seen: “an increase in defence spending across European Allies and Canada. A real increase of 3.8%. Or ten billion dollars more for our defence.”

The two heads now look forward to a meeting of NATO heads in May where priorities and challenges will be addressed by the alliance.

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