© EPA-EFE/JESSICA LEE According to him, NATO wants to protect freedom and security.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte commented on the parade in Beijing and stated the risk of a wider confrontation due to the actions of Iran, North Korea, China and Russia. He stressed that NATO's actions are not aimed at “a new arms race, but at protecting” the Alliance, The Guardian reports.
“Our goal is to protect and ensure that we can continue to enjoy the freedom and security that we all value so much, the freedom and security that NATO was founded to preserve,” he said.
Rutte continued that Russian aggression in Ukraine is the most obvious example of this threat, which “will not end with this war.” He stressed that the challenge is not limited to Russia, as China, Iran and North Korea “create problems both individually and through cooperation.”
“Just look at the pictures from Beijing in the last few days and how they are holding hands. They are increasing their cooperation in the defense industry to an unprecedented level. They are preparing for a long-term confrontation. And as I said before, the challenges we face are long-term. So we must be ready,” Rutte added.
Earlier, media outlets reported that Chinese leader Xi Jinping's meeting with his Russian and North Korean counterparts at a military parade on September 3, virtually in front of US President Donald Trump and European leaders , demonstrates Xi's influence on authoritarian regimes seeking to reshape the Western-based world order. Reuters said the landmark meeting would “highlight” the prospects for a trilateral axis based on a mutual defense pact.
In Tianjin, those who dream of showing the world without America have gathered – China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and even India. But is this “coalition of the discontented” really capable of changing global rules? Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine Serhiy Korsunsky writes about this in the article “SCO Summit: How Beijing Gathers an Alliance of Autocrats Against Washington” .
