{"id":718,"date":"2020-12-01T23:10:20","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T23:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiofree.org\/?p=130371"},"modified":"2020-12-01T23:10:20","modified_gmt":"2020-12-01T23:10:20","slug":"nato-ministers-discuss-reforms-russia-afghanistan-at-virtual-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2020\/12\/01\/nato-ministers-discuss-reforms-russia-afghanistan-at-virtual-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO Ministers Discuss Reforms, Russia, Afghanistan At Virtual Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"
A report presented to NATO foreign ministers on December 1 says the alliance must adapt to deal with new threats, including \u201cpersistently aggressive Russia\u201d and \u201cthe rise of China.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ministers received the report on the first day of a two-day conference being held via videolink as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus.<\/p>\n
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that the ministers also discussed the Russian \u201cmilitary buildup\u201d around the alliance, as well as its mission in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n
The Western military alliance \u201cwill have to take some hard decisions\u201d about the mission when NATO defense ministers meet in February, he said.<\/p>\n
The 67-page report makes about 140 suggestions on how to reboot the alliance, which it says \u201cmust adapt to meet the needs of a more demanding strategic environment.\u201d<\/p>\n
It notes that while NATO faced one big threat during the Cold War it now faces two \u201csystemic rivals\u201d \u2013 Russia and China \u2013 along with \u201cthe enduring threat of terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also suggests the Western military alliance find a way to stop individual countries vetoing policy decisions, as Hungary has done over plans for a deeper partnership with non-NATO member Ukraine.<\/p>\n
Other recommendations include creating a consultative body to coordinate broader, Western policy toward China, holding summits with European Union leaders, and giving the secretary-general more power over personnel and budgets.<\/p>\n
“NATO needs a strong political dimension to match its military adaptation,” according to the report, whose suggestions are not binding.<\/p>\n
The document is to be presented to NATO leaders at a summit planned for next year. They could be included in an update to NATO’s Strategic Concept document, which dates from 2010 and sought to consider Russia as a partner.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters, Stoltenberg said the ministers discussed \u201cRussia’s continued military buildup in our neighborhood, as well as arms control.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said NATO is adapting its deterrence posture \u201cto address Russia’s destabilizing actions,\u201d but the ministers agree that they must continue to pursue dialogue with Russia.<\/p>\n
They also expressed support for preserving limitations of nuclear weapons and for developing a more comprehensive arms control regime, and welcomed dialog between Russia and the United States ahead of the expiration of their bilateral New START treaty in February.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe should not find ourselves in a situation where there is no agreement regulating the number of nuclear warheads,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On Afghanistan, Stoltenberg said NATO supports the peace process while remaining committed to the mission to help Afghanistan fight terrorism.<\/p>\n
But he added: \u201cAs we continue to assess the situation in Afghanistan, it is clear that we will face a turning point early next year.”<\/p>\n
The security alliance risks and even longer-term engagement if the NATO mission stays in Afghanistan, and if it leaves there is a risk that it will become a safe haven for international terrorists again, Stoltenberg said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, there is a price for staying longer, but there is also a price for leaving too soon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
NATO now has about 11,000 troops from dozens of countries stationed in the country. Their mandate is to help train and advise Afghanistan\u2019s own national security forces.<\/p>\n
But the presence of U.S. forces, which NATO relies on for air support, transport, and logistics, is scheduled to shrink by 2,000 troops to 2,500 by January 15.<\/p>\n
Under a peace deal reached between the United States and the Taliban, all foreign troops should leave Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 if security conditions on the ground permit.<\/p>\n