Speaking at a press conference in Brussels after a one-day summit of NATO leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that NATO needs to find the right balance in its relations with China, and not underestimate or exaggerate the country.
“If we look at cyber threats and hybrid threats, if we look at cooperation between Russia and China, we see that the alliance cannot ignore China,” said Angela Merkel, who says China is a competitor in many areas but an ally in many others. Regions. Merkel said that NATO needs to be prepared to face threats, but it is very important that it, like Russia, maintains the possibility of political dialogue with Beijing.
Macron: One should not be prejudiced about relations with China
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned against making decisions about the Far East. He said that China has nothing to do with the North Atlantic region, and that NATO members do not maintain military ties with Beijing. In the closing statement to the NATO summit on Monday, leaders of member states expressed their concerns about China’s military action as well as its technological activities.
Macron said we must not be biased in our relations with China, and we must not allow the issue to divert the attention of allies from challenges within NATO.
De Croo: Society is open to dealing with China but needs reciprocity
Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre de Croo, on discussions regarding China, said that the Far Eastern country has become a global power, both economically and militarily, which means that the alliance needs to be aware of its priorities for Beijing. It must be made clear that NATO is a values-based organization that emphasizes respect for human rights and the strength of democracy. On the economic side, the message is also clear: Society is open to doing business with China, but it needs reciprocity, he said.
But Crowe said there is a need for close cooperation with Washington, but recent years have also made clear that Europeans need to hide from the American shadow and set their own priorities.
Erdogan hissed
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, in a press conference, that the resumption of negotiations between Turkey and Greece, which had been suspended for 5 years, to resolve long-standing differences, is in the interest of “stability and prosperity” in the Mediterranean region.
Regarding the renewed tensions over their right to a large-scale natural gas field discovered in the eastern Mediterranean, Erdogan said that Greece is “Ankara’s neighbor and ally, working to revive channels of dialogue and resolve bilateral issues for the stability and prosperity of our region.”
Erdogan complained that allies did not provide enough support to Turkey in its fight against terrorism. Turkey is at the forefront of the fight against terrorism on all relevant international platforms, especially NATO, primarily the Islamic State. He said he “neutralised” 4,000 fighters in cross-border operations.
Erdogan said that Turkey is the only NATO ally that is fighting head-on and giving its sons to make the fight against terrorism a success, and expressed his regret that his country did not receive the solidarity that it expected from its allies and partners in the fight against terrorism. (MTI)
