NATO celebrates 75 years as the cornerstone of collective defense and deterrence

O NATO a meeting of foreign ministers begins tomorrow, Wednesday, in Brussels, at which it will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its foundation, three quarters of a century in which it maintained unity based on collective defense and deterrence against threats like the one we currently face involves Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.

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On Thursday, ministers will participate in a ceremony to celebrate the signing of the Washington Treaty, on April 4, 1949, by the 12 founding members of the Alliance, which currently number 32 with the recent additions of Finland and Sweden precisely because of the aggressive behavior of Russia.

Article 5 of the Treaty – which crossed the Atlantic from Washington for the first time to be presented during the ministerial meeting – establishes that an attack committed against any member state – in Europe or North America – will be considered an attack against all, who will be able to respond as one.

“NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary with the principle of collective defense and deterrence intact and reinforced”, allied diplomatic sources indicated this Tuesday.

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Even during the term of US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) and despite all his doubts about the Alliance, the transatlantic bond was not weakened, which in any case was strengthened under his successor, Democrat Joe Biden , they added.

For the US ambassador to the Alliance, Julianne Smith, “it is very inspiring to see how the NATOhow it continues to adapt and how it continues to welcome new members, all for the benefit of the more than one billion citizens living in NATO countries.”

At this meeting, whose main theme is the organization’s anniversary, the foreign ministers will first address what they currently consider the greatest threat to their security: the Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Ministers will hear an internal Alliance analysis of Russia’s policies outside Ukraine, in the Sahel, the Middle East, the Balkans or in international organizations.

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In any case, Smith today lowered expectations about the proximity of a war between allies and Russia, as countries like Poland have warned.

“I do not want to give our friends in the Baltic countries the impression that a war is coming overnight on NATO territory. We take this seriously, but it does not seem like an imminent threat to us”, commented the ambassador.

Ministers will continue to analyze on this occasion what more they can do to support Kiev and, on Thursday, they will participate in a Council NATO-Ukraine with his Ukrainian counterpart, Dmitro Kuleba.

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The allies are already preparing the results they expect from the NATO summit to be held in Washington in July and also the language in which the final communiqué will refer to Ukraine.

According to several strong diplomats, the objective is to make it clear that they will maintain support for Ukraine as long as necessary, without including a deadline or a specific invitation for its accession.

Instead, the summit is expected to be a key moment to reveal more long-term security commitments to Kyiv.

At a time of stalemate on the battlefield, as recognized by several European diplomats, it is essential to continue providing Ukraine with what it needs, mainly artillery ammunition.

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The arrival of F-16 fighter jets to be operated by Ukrainian pilots is expected later this year as another important asset in supporting Kiev, but it remains a red line for allies like Spain or US soldiers on the ground.

“The United States does not support sending troops to fight in Ukraine. We were very clear about this from day one. “We are not interested in being part of this conflict,” said Smith, who, however, recalled that the Alliance has taken “numerous steps” to improve deterrence and defense along its entire eastern flank.

Another subject that the ministers will talk about, but on the sidelines of the meeting, will be the successor of Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg as allied secretary general from October 1st.

Although there is a great consensus, also on the part of the USA, around the current Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte, the candidacy of the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and the support given to him by some allies such as Hungary , is taking some time, a decision that should arrive, in any case, before the Washington summit.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.