NATO Chief Rejects Macron's Remark About Alliance's 'Brain Death'

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2019) NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday rejected French President Emmanuel Macron's claim that the bloc was experiencing "brain death" and that Europe should rely on itself.

"NATO is strong, and the US, North America and Europe, we do more together than we've done for a decade. We have implemented the strongest enforcement of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War," he said at a press briefing with the German chancellor.

He sided with Angela Merkel who described Macron's assessment of the alliance as very harsh. Macron said Europe needed to "wake up" to the fact that the United States had turned its back on its allies.

Stoltenberg argued that, far from abandoning Europe, the US was increasing its presence there with more troops, more exercises and more investment in infrastructure.

He also warned Europe against trying to act on its own.

"Any attempt to distance Europe from North America risks not only to weaken the trans-Atlantic bond but also to divide Europe. We have to stand together. I welcome European unity ... but European unity cannot replace trans-Atlantic unity," he said.

The alliance has been going through tough times ever since US President Donald Trump surprised his NATO allies by beginning last month to pull troops out of northern Syria. This was seen as a go-ahead for an incursion by Turkey, another NATO country.