Brussels and NATO discuss strengthening cooperation to counter “hybrid” threats

Top officials of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Sunday pledged to strengthen cooperation in the face of “hybrid” threats, during a visit to Lithuania to focus on the immigration crisis in Belarus and the Russian military build-up. On the border with Ukraine. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has renewed Moscow’s call for a “rise and fall” near the Ukrainian border, warning of the “costs and consequences” of the occupation against its neighbors.

Stoltenberg and European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen arrived in Lithuania ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in neighboring Latvia on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially US Secretary of State Anthony Blingen to discuss concerns. Situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

“It is important that the EU and NATO work side by side in response to such events,” Von der Leன்n stressed during a joint press conference with Stoltenberg and Lithuanian leaders. For his part, Stoltenberg said, “We discussed the possibility of intensifying NATO and EU joint action, including a new joint declaration. We are strong and secure when we work together.”

In turn, Lithuanian President Kidanas Nouseda warned of the situation on the border between his country and Belarus, saying, “If the security situation worsens, we will not refuse to hold consultations under NATO’s Section 4.” Poland has also indicated that it may seek this article. Stoltenberg considered the “extraordinary” increase in the presence of tanks, artillery, drones and thousands of war-ready soldiers to be “extremely worrying for a number of reasons,” particularly “unreasonable and unreasonable.”

Participants in a European meeting in Calais, France, began discussing the strengthening of the struggle against the “networks of smugglers” following the sinking of the English Channel, but without the British assigned by France. “There are more deaths” and “we can not accept the death of others,” said French Interior Minister Gerald Dormann. His statement came at the beginning of a meeting with the ministers responsible for migration from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and the directors of Europol and Frontex. “The most important thing about this meeting is to fight the smugglers who are playing with our borders and countries and” putting their trade before human life, “Thurman added.