NATO Must Address Three Priorities amid Current Instability, Stoltenberg Says

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressing the Parliamentary Assembly of the aliance in Stavanger, Norway, Oct 12, 2015. Photo credit: nato.int

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that it must address three priorities to adapt to the new reality of instability surrounding the Alliance: modernized deterrence, relations with Russia, and the southern dimension.

“NATO must be ready and able to deploy forces when needed,” he said at his address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Stavanger, Norway.

“But we also have to get better at projecting stability without necessarily deploying large combat forces; call it Resolute Support, Defence Capacity Building or Partnership what matters is that from Afghanistan to Morocco, and many places in between, NATO is helping other countries to defend themselves,” Stoltenberg said.

“As we approach our Warsaw Summit, we will assess the long-term implications of the current crisis on our relations with Russia; engagement is not the same as accepting a new status quo, or giving Russia a free hand,” he added.

Stoltenberg also said that NATO has no plans to intervene in the conflict in Syria as an alliance but some members and partners of the organization play a key role in fighting the Islamic State group on the country’s territory.

Even if the organization doesn’t formally take part in the operations of the US-led coalition in Syria, the expertise and operational compatibility of NATO forces are extremely useful for the coalition, Stoltenberg said.

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