NATO’s relations with Asian countries
The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, arrived in Seoul on Sunday, the first stop of a trip designed to strengthen the Alliance’s ties with US allies South Korea and Japan, in the context of the war in Ukraine and the growing competition with China. In Seoul, Stoltenberg is to meet with Foreign Minister Park Jin, National Defense Minister Lee Jong-Sup and other high-ranking officials, NATO announced in a statement. He is also likely to meet with President Yoon Suk-yeol, the presidential office announced. Stoltenberg will then travel to Japan on Monday, where the NATO Secretary General has scheduled meetings with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other Japanese officials.
“I strongly believe that we must strengthen the partnership between South Korea and NATO because security is becoming increasingly interconnected,” Stoltenberg told Yonhap in an interview published on Sunday. “What happens in Asia, the Indo-Pacific, matters to Europe and NATO and vice versa,” he added. Although NATO will remain focused on Europe and North America, its members are affected by issues around the globe, he said. “We need to respond to these global challenges and threats, including challenges from China, and one way to do this is, of course, by working more closely with partners in the region,” Stoltenberg said. Yoon and Kishida became the first leaders from their countries to attend a NATO summit, joining Alliance leaders as observers last year. After the summit, South Korea opened its first diplomatic mission to NATO, pledging to deepen cooperation in non-proliferation, cyber defense, counter-terrorism, disaster response and other security areas.
By Sara Colin
