NATO Foreign Ministers are meeting in Riga on Tuesday 30 November and Wednesday 1 December for a packed ministerial meeting.
They will discuss the continued build-up of Russian forces in and around Ukraine. “This is the second time this year that Russia has amassed large and unusual concentrations of forces in the region (which) includes heavy capabilities like tanks, artillery, armoured units, drones, and electronic warfare systems, as well as combat-ready troops”, Jens Stoltenberg, the Alliance’s Secretary-General, said, on Friday 26 November. He called on Russia to show transparency, reduce tensions and de-escalate.
Mr Stoltenberg warned that if Russia used force, “there would be costs and consequences”. He also recalled that NATO was providing support to Ukraine, such as capacity building and training.
The situation will be discussed with the Ukrainian and Georgian partners as well.
According to Mr Stoltenberg, the ministers will then address the situation on the borders of the Allied countries with Belarus and “the Lukashenko regime’s cynical exploitation of vulnerable people to put pressure on our Allies Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania”.
After having held discussions with the Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday 25 November, the NATO Secretary General will travel with the President of the European Commission, on Sunday 28 November, to Latvia and Lithuania to discuss this issue. “Close cooperation between NATO and the European Union is essential to counter this hybrid campaign, which aims to destabilise our countries”, said Mr Stoltenberg.
Ministers will also exchange views on the Alliance’ role regarding arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. “Since the Cold War, NATO has reduced the number of nuclear weapons in Europe by more than 90%”, Mr Stoltenberg said. And while NATO is determined to maintain its leadership role in arms control, it is not naïve, faced with Russia, which continues to develop and deploy new weapons systems, and China, which is rapidly expanding its conventional and nuclear arsenal, he warned.
The ministers will also discuss the lessons to be drawn from the departure from Afghanistan for future crisis management operations. Following the Allied withdrawal and the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and armed forces, the Secretary General had launched a comprehensive review of NATO’s engagement in the country. While the goal of preventing terrorists from using Afghanistan to attack an ally has been achieved, “over the years, the international community set a level of ambition that went well beyond the original aim of fighting terrorism” and “on that, we were not able to deliver”, the Secretary General acknowledged.
The ministerial will also discuss the Alliance’s next Strategic Concept, which is expected to be adopted at the summit at the end of June. For Mr Stoltenberg, this plan for the next decade must take into account new realities, “including Russia’s aggressive actions and a more assertive China, emerging and disruptive technologies and the security impact of climate change”.
Finally, in the presence of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Finnish and Swedish ministers, the ministers will discuss developments in the Western Balkans and the role that the Alliance continues to play in promoting stability and security in the region. This region of “strategic importance” to NATO is facing a new rise in tensions. Mr Stoltenberg expressed concern about the inflammatory rhetoric coming from the Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)