At NATO, Belgium continues to plead for a dual approach towards Russia
Brussels believes that a political dialogue with Moscow remains essential to clarify Russian intentions and call for de-escalation in the region, Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès said in a statement. This political consultation between NATO allies is essential in view of the recent deployment of Russian forces near the borders of Alliance members, according to Deputy Prime Minister MR, but also in view of the situation in Belarus, where the President Alexander Lukashenko instrumentalizes migration in response to European sanctions against the regime after the 2020 repression of an opposition movement.
The first day of consultations was also devoted to updating the “NATO Strategic Concept”, an official document which describes the nature and objective of NATO, as well as its fundamental security tasks. The previous roadmap dates from 2010. A framework note was submitted by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and will serve as a starting point with, as a deadline, the Madrid summit in June 2022.
For Belgium, it is important to keep the broad outlines of the 2010 “Strategic Concept”, in particular by keeping the main tasks of the Alliance – such as the defense of the Euro-Atlantic area. But an update must be made to better take into account new threats and challenges such as the rise of China, climate change and the emergence of new technologies. “In the discussions, I intend to stress the importance of a strong, full-capacity Defense Europe. We are convinced that when an element of the Alliance strengthens, it is for the benefit. of all the Allies. Support for the construction of this Defense Europe must be recorded in the ‘Strategic Concept’. Beyond that, it goes without saying that we have everything to gain by strengthening collaborations between the EU and NATO on operational aspects, ”added the Belgian Foreign Minister.
The issues of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation were also lifted on Tuesday. In these areas, Belgium believes that NATO has its full role to play in the pursuit of these objectives. In addition, Brussels welcomes internal NATO consultations on these subjects, the Minister of Foreign Affairs added.
In addition, the ministers also intend to return on Wednesday, in retrospect, to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan in order to draw lessons for the future.
“The members of NATO are united. We keep our defense and our deterrence capacity, but the dialogue must also remain open”, explained Tuesday evening, Sophie Wilmès about the situation at the borders of Ukraine and the Georgia, where a concentration of Russian soldiers has been recorded in recent weeks.
On Belarus, Belgium reiterated its full support for European countries on the front line, such as Poland, “once again strongly condemning the unbearable and criminal attitude of the Lukashenko regime”. The Deputy Prime Minister welcomed the responsiveness of the European Union, which in particular decided on new sanctions. “This episode pleads in favor of strengthening consultations and collaboration between the EU and NATO,” she commented.
On the sidelines of the NATO working meetings, the Deputy Prime Minister met two counterparts in bilateral format: the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, Mélanie Joly, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Þórdís Kolbrún R. Gylfadottir. During these talks, Ms. Wilmès was able to observe the shared vision between Belgium, Canada and Iceland on the importance of multilateralism. As Minister in charge of Foreign Trade, Sophie Wilmès also specifies that she had the opportunity to address socio-economic issues with regard to the post-Covid recovery as well as “the excellence of our companies in several areas such as” energy ”.