NATO Foreign Ministers to address preparations for London meeting
NATO Foreign Ministers will meet in Brussels on Wednesday (20 November 2019) to finalise preparations for the meeting of NATO leaders in London. Ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that despite differences among Allies, NATO has grown stronger over the last seventy years and continues to provide security for almost 1 billion people.
Foreign Ministers are expected to recognise space as an operational domain, alongside air, land, sea and cyber. "Space is essential to the Alliance’s defence and deterrence, for early warning, communication and navigation,” said the Secretary General. He noted that NATO’s approach to space will remain defensive and fully in line with international law. NATO has no intention to put weapons in space.
Ministers will also address NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism. “Our training missions in Afghanistan and Iraq continue to play an important role in preventing the resurgence of ISIS and other terrorist groups,” said the Secretary General.
The Alliance’s work to counter hybrid threats will also be on the agenda. “Allies are stepping up, including with new baseline requirements for resilient telecommunications, including 5G,” said the Secretary General. He also announced that NATO’s first counter-hybrid support team is in Montenegro this week.
Ministers will also discuss other strategic issues, including NATO’s dual-track approach to Russia, the implications of the rise of China, energy security, and the future of arms control. The Secretary General stressed that NATO is the only forum that brings nations from Europe and North America together, to address strategic security challenges. “NATO remains the only guarantor of European and transatlantic security, and it is the responsibility of each of us to maintain and strengthen our unity,” he said.