Although coronapandemien take up much space, should security threats be handled during the crisis, says secretary-general.
There are still security threats to be handled during a global health crisis, stresses the Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, at a press conference Wednesday.
Nato’s core task is to provide security and defense for nearly a billion people. So our main purpose is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis.
– Many of the challenges we have, will not disappear, because there is Covid-19-crisis. We still have terrorist threats. And we need to do everything we can to prevent more unrest, for example, in Afghanistan, says Stoltenberg.
Thursday, Nato ministers will meet over video conference for the first time ever. Here will coronapandemien and the Nato response to coronakrisen be high on the agenda.
– This is an international crisis, and we must help each other. Tomorrow I will discuss with foreign ministers how we can use Nato military capabilities and structures more effectively in the fight against Covid-19, says Stoltenberg.
Nato has already started to exploit the capacity in the fight against coronavirus, says Stoltenberg.
Among other things, is a Turkish military plane on Wednesday morning, flown to Italy and Spain with medical equipment to help the two countries, which are particularly hard-hit.
doctors from Albania and Poland are taken to Italy to help their Italian colleagues, says Stoltenberg.
Nato can help to mobilise bilateral support between Nato-allies. Nato will do its part to help in the common struggle against an invisible enemy, he says.
in addition to coronapandemien, ministers will also discuss the alliance’s role in the fight against international terrorism, including the training mission in Iraq.
Here expect the prime minister, that ministers will decide to intensify its efforts to take over more tasks from the broader coalition against the terrorist group Islamic State.
Also, the situation in Afghanistan is on the agenda. Nato is in the process of reducing the number of soldiers in the country, but will only do it from certain conditions, stresses the prime minister.
– There are not taken any decision on a further reduction, and there will be a requirement before it can happen. All parties must keep its promises, and all the steps will be based on the conditions, he says.
At the meeting on Thursday is the first time that Nordmakedonien participate as a member of Nato, since the country formally became Nato 30. member Friday.
/ritzau/
