US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will travel to Europe this week to meet with allies in the region to discuss defense and security matters, the Defense Department said in a statement on Tuesday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2019) US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will travel to Europe this week to meet with allies in the region to discuss defense and security matters, the Defense Department said in a statement on Tuesday."Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper embarks Wednesday, Sept. 4, to visit Stuttgart, London and Paris to meet with US and ally leaders," the statement said. "Throughout his trip, Secretary Esper will meet with key leaders to reaffirm defense relationships and conduct bilateral and multilateral meetings with senior officials."
During the trip to the German city of Stuttgart, Esper will meet with combatant commanders of US Africa Command and US European Command, the statement said. The defense chief will discuss building partnership opportunities that support the US National Defense Strategy objectives, it added.
Last week, Esper said he was going to meet with NATO allies during his trip to Europe to discuss the United States' posture in the region and Russian deterrence.
Esper's visit comes on the heels of the United States' withdrawal from the INF Treaty. Washington withdrew from the INF Treaty on August 2 having formally suspended its obligations under the accord six months earlier. Russia suspended its own participation in the INF Treaty in July. These developments came after both countries had repeatedly accused one another of violating the 1987 treaty.
