NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Thursday underscored the strategic significance of the Arctic and the High North, calling the area “crucial” to the Alliance’s safety posture.
“This visit for me is very important, because this is, of course, about NATO. It is about Norway, but it’s also about what collectively we are doing to make sure that we keep NATO territory safe,” Rutte mentioned throughout his first official go to to northern Norway after taking workplace.
Referring to the Arctic’s evolving safety setting, Rutte mentioned: “We know that these sea lanes are opening up, that the Russians and the Chinese are more and more active here. We know that we have an issue when it comes to, for example, ice blade capacity, sort of many issues.”
He pressured the necessity for NATO to work carefully with the seven High North international locations, “Iceland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Canada and the US,” to coordinate efforts within the area.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store welcomed Rutte to the Arctic base with what he described as “a beautiful summer day,” however mentioned the go to carried critical strategic significance.
“It is really a privilege for me to welcome you to North Norway,” Store mentioned.
Store emphasised that Norway performs “a special role for allied security, our own security, but also that of our allies here in the North.”
He listed Norway’s investments in Arctic-specific protection capabilities, together with maritime patrol plane, F-35 fighter jets, submarines, drones, Coast Guard items, and space-based property.
“With Sweden and Finland joining NATO, the whole perspective of allied reinforcement in times of crisis gets another depth,” Store added.
Rutte additionally confirmed that Arctic safety and broader protection planning can be a part of the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague.
“We are also working towards the summit in The Hague, focusing on more spending… not more spending because we want to spend more, but because we have to deliver the capabilities we, collectively as NATO, need to deliver.”
Rutte mentioned this may contain spending “much, much more than the famous 2%,” highlighting that “Russia is actively reconstituting itself. We know that China is building up its armed forces. We have the terrorist threat.”
When requested concerning the modernization of Russian army bases within the area and rising tensions, Rutte said: “NATO is increasing focus on the High North through improved situational awareness, reinforcement, improved capabilities, revised command and control arrangements, increased exercises, and training.”
Source: www.anews.com.tr