NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is not worried about military attacks on member countries.
āI don't see any imminent threat against any NATO ally, and that's because of NATO,ā Stoltenberg told CTVās Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an exclusive broadcast interview airing Sunday. āNATOās core task, (its) main responsibility, is actually not to fight the war, but to prevent the war.ā
āAnd the way NATO has prevented war for more than 75 years is make it absolutely clear to any potential adversary that an attack on one ally will trigger a response from the whole alliance,ā he added. āAs long as that is credible, then there will be no military attack against any NATO ally.ā
Stoltenbergās visit to Canada came just weeks before members of the alliance are set to meet for their annual summit July 9 to 11, to celebrate the groupās 75th anniversary.
NATO, now made up of 32 member countries, was established in the aftermath of the Second World War with the goal of promoting collective security, especially through the North Atlantic Treaty's Article Five, which stipulates that an attack on any one members is considered an attack on all.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen told Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday he agrees with Stoltenbergās assessment.
While he canāt remember a time in his life when thereās been more turmoil and risk in the world, he said, itās important to remember the security allianceās emphasis on defence.
āI think the NATO countries are in pretty good shape,ā Cohen said. āAnd I think a big part of that is because of the strength and the power of NATO.ā
āThe notion that if you invade any NATO country, every inch of any NATO country will be defended by all NATO countries, it's a huge deterrent effect,ā he added.
Stoltenberg, who is also the former prime minister of Norway, is set to step aside when his current term ends in October, after a decade serving as secretary-general.
He said standing together in a group such as NATO ā which makes up about half the worldās āeconomic might,ā and about half of the worldās āmilitary mightā ā is more important now than ever āin a more dangerousā global context.
Despite his confidence in the collective defence and deterrence NATO provides, Stoltenberg said more alignment with Indo-Pacific countries could be critical to further discouraging offensives from autocratic countries, such as China and Russia.
The allianceās upcoming leadersā summit in Washington will also include a focus on strengthening ties with certain Indo-Pacific countries, with officials from South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand ā to name a few ā planning to attend the gathering.
Stoltenberg said that while those countries have partnered with NATO, he doesnāt imagine them becoming formal members of the alliance.
āBut it is important that we work more closely with our Asia Pacific partners, because we see how authoritarian nations, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, are aligning more and more, and we see that in particular in Ukraine,ā he said.
āWhen they are more aligned, when they support each other, it's even more important that NATO stands together, but also that we work more closely with our partners in the Indo Pacific: Japan, South Korea and others,ā he also said.
You can watch Stoltenbergās full interview on CTVās Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.
