NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, pledged to strengthen ties on Tuesday, stating that “our security is closely interconnected” as the Russian war on Ukraine has raised global concerns.
The statement came during the NATO chief’s trip to Japan following his visit to South Korea. He had urged Seoul to increase its military support for Ukraine and flagged rising competition with China.
Furthermore, President Yoon’s office mentioned that Stoltenberg discussed with President Yoon NATO’s possible role in discouraging North Korea from its rising ambition of developing a nuclear arsenal following several ballistic missile tests in 2022.
However, North Korea condemned the NATO chief’s visits to Japan and South Korea and said that NATO was trying to put its “military boots in the region.”
“The world is at a historic inflection point in the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,” the two leaders said in a statement. (Reuters)
“If President Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a tragedy for the Ukrainians, but it will also send a very dangerous message to authoritarian leaders all over the world because then the message will be that when they use military force they can achieve their goals,” Jens Stoltenberg said.
Flagged concerns about Russia’s nuclear threats, joint military drills between Russia and China near Japan, simultaneous increase in North Korea’s nuclear weapon development.
“This war is not just a European crisis, but the challenge to the world order,” he added.
“Beijing is watching closely, and learning lessons that may influence its future decisions. What is happening in Europe today happen in East Asia tomorrow.” (Aljazeera)