Belarus’ “hijacking” is set in a “more aggressive” Russian context, says NATO chief executive officer

[ad_1]

Sanctions against Belarus for “hijacking” passenger planes carrying journalists who were critical of Lukashenko’s administration must be “fully implemented,” NATO Secretary said.

Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday at Downing Street, and the two discussed the future of the alliance prior to the summit meeting in Brussels on June 14.

Johnson later told reporters that the Belarusian case had something to do with Russia’s “hard-line stance,” so “uniting against threats from the east” could be a big part of the summit’s agenda. Suggested high.

Stoltenberg added that the arrest of journalist Roman Protasevic was “absolutely unacceptable” and that NATO called for the release of him and his girlfriend and the conduct of a “fair international investigation.”

The Epoch Times
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on June 2, 2021 at 10 Downing Street in the United Kingdom. (Justin Thalys / PA)

“We welcome the sanctions imposed by the UK, other NATO allies and the EU,” he said.

And he said these steps would send the message, “If the Minsk regime behaves like them, the consequences will come.”

But he said, “I think the most important thing right now is to ensure that the agreed sanctions are fully enforced, and we are looking at whether other allies can be further strengthened. I also know that.

“It is clear that if a regime like the Minsk regime violates basic international norms and rules and acts in their own way, we will impose costs on them.

“And when the NATO leaders meet, I’m convinced that this will be an issue they discuss.”

He said this focuses on Belarusian behavior, but is also part of their response to “more aggressive” Russia.

“We also see Russia and Belarus working closely together,” he said.

This was done after Foreign Minister Dominic Raab called on NATO to work together to combat the threat of a “hostile country like Russia.”

Defense Minister Ben Wallace and Raab met with their allies on Tuesday.

Rab, who also met Stoltenberg on Wednesday, used the meeting on Tuesday to take advantage of the situation in Ukraine, the deaths of two civilians and the GRU military intelligence officer behind the explosion in the town of Vulvechke, Czech Republic. , And reiterated his concerns about Russia, including restrictions. Number of US and Czech embassy staff in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

“The UK faces the challenge of confronting a hostile country like Russia, while facing new threats posed by those who try to undermine our way of doing things, from dangerous cyberattacks to harmful false alarms. Supporting and strengthening NATO while adapting to things. “

Johnson said NATO was “very good” in helping Britain against Russia’s aggression, pointing out the 2018 Salisbury addiction.

“You will remember that many NATO allies rallyed and sympathized with Britain and expelled diplomats. [with] It’s an attempted assassination of Scriparis, “he said.

“But what we want to do is work together to protect and protect against cyber threats from all sorts of threats that some NATO members still feel at NATO’s eastern border.”

A spokesman for Downing Street said: “The Prime Minister to NATO, as demonstrated through his record investment in defense costs and his commitment to a state-of-the-art alliance, including the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. Emphasized the UK’s commitment.

“Leaders discussed a number of issues affecting NATO, including the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The two leaders need to ensure that Afghanistan has a long-term peaceful and democratic future. Agreed to.

“They also condemned the recent actions Belarus took to arrest Protasevic and Sophia Sapega in Rome. They gave a full explanation of what happened when the Belarusian government released political prisoners. I agreed that I had to.

“The Prime Minister emphasized his support for NATO’s vision for the future. They said that NATO is essential to transatlantic security and addresses a wider range of geopolitical issues such as climate change. Agreed to play an important role in. “

[ad_2]