NATO to weigh southern strategy, Balkan stability and defence spending at Brussels talks, says official

Al Etihad

02-04-2025

2 Apr 2025 22:59
BRUSSELS (ALETIHAD)NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels this week will review plans to open a liaison office in Jordan and expand the alliance's advisory role in Iraq, as part of a wider push to strengthen partnerships and address rising instability across the southern neighbourhood, a NATO official said on Wednesday.The official pointed out that growing volatility across the Middle East and North Africa remains a concern for allies, prompting renewed attention on how to sharpen NATO's political and practical tools in the region.'Allies recognise the impact of instability and conflict in the southern neighbourhood on their own security,' the NATO official said during a press meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels. 'Through our partnerships in the southern neighbourhood, NATO aims to foster greater security and stability in the Middle East and Africa, contributing to peace and prosperity.'Among the initiatives under review is the establishment of a NATO liaison office in Amman and reinforced cooperation through existing platforms such as the NATO-ICI Regional Centre in Kuwait, the Defence Capacity Building Initiative and the Hub for the South. The official added that NATO's Special Representative for the Southern Neighbourhood would continue to serve as the alliance's focal point for the region.That effort comes in parallel with the alliance's plans to expand its presence in Iraq, as ministers are expected to approve an enlarged scope for NATO Mission Iraq (NMI), following a request from Baghdad.'Following a request from the Iraqi authorities, we are broadening the scope of NMI to support the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and Federal Police Command with advisory and capacity-building activities,' the NATO official said, describing the mission as a non-combat effort aimed at building more effective and inclusive security institutions, stabilising the country and preventing the return of Da'esh.These discussions come as part of a wider agenda that includes defence investment, industrial capacity and long-term strategic planning ahead of the NATO summit in The Hague in June, the official revealed. Ministers are expected to exchange views on how to maintain momentum in stepping up defence spending and ramping up defence production in light of ongoing global demands.The alliance's 'continued support to Ukraine' will remain at the centre of those talks, the official added, with a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council scheduled for Thursday. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha will join the session, alongside EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who will also take part in a closed session on NATO-EU coordination.Attention will also turn to the Western Balkans - a region the alliance has long viewed as strategically sensitive - where NATO is seeking to reaffirm its long-term engagement.'Security of the Western Balkans is vital for our own stability, and we will not allow it to be jeopardised,' the official stressed, noting that alliance leaders had already flagged the region's strategic importance during the last NATO summit in Vilnius.He pointed to recent visits by NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte to Sarajevo and Kosovo in March, describing them as a "tangible demonstration that the Western Balkans remains high on NATO's agenda".
Ministers will also meet counterparts from Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand for a session focused on NATO's partnerships in the Indo-Pacific. The official said the alliance aims to 'further develop our already well-established cooperation on issues of mutual concern and in several domains' with the region's partners, as part of a broader effort to adapt to the shifting global security landscape.