NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media before talks at the Chancellery on 27 August 2020 in Berlin, Germany.
Omer Messinger | Getty Images News | Getty Images
US President Joe Biden is a ‘strong supporter’ of NATO, and the alliance can be further strengthened with him in office, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this week.
“President Biden and his inauguration as the new president represent a new chapter for our alliance because Joe Biden is such a strong supporter of NATO. He knows NATO very well,” the NATO chief told CNBC on Thursday. Hadley Gamble said.
This will be an opportunity to further strengthen NATO, he added, pointing out that Biden wants to rebuild alliances.
US commitment to NATO has reached a low point under former President Donald Trump. He repeatedly attacked allies because they paid less than their fair share to the group.
Stoltenberg said he was looking forward to working with the new government to address issues around the world.
“We face so many challenges at once: the rise of China, the … shift in the global balance of power, a more assertive Russia using violence against neighbors in Ukraine and elsewhere, and then of course the constant threat of terrorist attacks,” he said.
“None of us can tackle it alone, we have to stand together,” he said. “I do not believe in America alone, I do not believe in Europe alone, I believe in Europe and North America together in NATO.”
US troops and NATO presence in Afghanistan, Iraq
Separately, Stoltenberg weighed in on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.
“We have to be careful [about] not leaving too early, “he said. At the same time, no one wants to stay in Afghanistan or Iraq any longer than necessary. “
The Pentagon announced last week that the number of U.S. troops in both countries had been reduced to 2,500, as prescribed by Trump when he was president.
His government signed an agreement with the Taliban in February aimed at establishing a permanent ceasefire in Afghanistan and reducing the US military presence in the country.
What is important to me is that we make decisions together, that we coordinate everything we do in Afghanistan.
NATO also has personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Stoltenberg said NATO is in close consultation with the new US government. “We will face a difficult dilemma,” he said.
If you leave, you may lose the profits made in Afghanistan to fight international terrorism and make social progress, but to stay means continued involvement in a ‘difficult military conflict’.
“What is important to me is that we make decisions together, that we coordinate everything we do in Afghanistan,” he said.
NATO plans to expand its presence in Iraq, Stoltenberg added.
“I believe the best way to prevent ISIS terrorists from returning is to train the Iraqi forces and help them fight the terrorists themselves,” he said.
CNBC’s Matt Clinch contributed to this report.