North Korea, Afghanistan to dominate NATO meeting

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA

NATO defense ministers will discuss the alliances' command structure, North and Afghanistan, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

Stoltenberg, speaking ahead of a two-day meeting due to start on Wednesday said NATO’s command structure was the "backbone" of the alliance.

"NATO has constantly adapted its Command Structure over the past decades, to take account of a changing security environment. In a more unpredictable world, we have to again," he added.

Stoltenberg said NATO should ensure its command structure was fully capable of providing deterrence and defense at and projecting stability abroad.

"We will also adapt the command structure to recognize the cyber domain. High-profile attacks, such as WannaCry, affect businesses and governments across the world," he added.

On North Korea, Stoltenberg said its ballistic missile and nuclear programs were a threat to NATO allies, to partners and to the international non-proliferation regime.

"As I saw during my visit to East Asia last week, these global threats require a global response. NATO maintains a strong deterrence posture. We have the capabilities and we have the resolve to respond to any aggression," he added.

Stoltenberg said NATO will review its support mission in Afghanistan, where last few weeks have been "tough".

"But at the same time, the Afghan security forces have shown bravery, determination and increasing capability and the Afghan people continue to demonstrate a remarkable resilience and hope for peace," he said.

He reiterated that NATO would continue to support Afghanistan in its efforts against international terrorism and for peace and reconciliation.