At their summit in Madrid, NATO member countries pledged to continue their fight against terrorism and to strengthen their cooperation with third countries.
“We reconfirmed our commitment to pursue the fight against terrorism with determination and solidarity, including through intelligence sharing and support to our partners”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the end of the summit, following a session on the fight against terrorism and security threats on the Alliance’s southern flank.
“Terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, poses the most direct asymmetric threat to the security of our citizens and to international peace and prosperity”, the Alliance’s new Strategic Concept states. The document also explains that the fight against terrorism is essential for the collective defence of the Alliance.
According to the concept, Allies will continue to “counter, deter, defend and respond to the threats and challenges posed by terrorist groups, based on a combination of prevention, protection and denial”.
They will also strengthen their cooperation with the international community, “including the United Nations and the European Union, to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism”.
The Allies also pledged to strengthen their support to their partners, in particular to help them build their capacity to fight terrorism and address common security challenges. At the summit, they decided to approve a defence capacity-building package for Mauritania, which will contribute to border security and the fight against irregular migration and terrorism.
Similarly, the Allies agreed to provide additional support for capacity building in Tunisia and to continue to support Jordan. The NATO training mission in Iraq is helping to prevent the return of the Islamic State, Mr Stoltenberg said.
“The battle against terrorism in the Sahel, in the Gulf of Guinea, in the Lake Chad region, and also in the Mozambique region remains a priority for France and for the Allies, and in this area we must not under any circumstances relax our efforts, but continue to support the states in the region that are shouldering their responsibilities”, added French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking to the media. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Léa Marchal)