NATO Chief Expects Germany To Increase Defense Spending

BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2019) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) expects Germany to continue fulfilling its obligations and raising the military budget, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.

Stoltenberg is currently in the middle of a four-day visit to Germany.

"I welcome Germany's plan to raise its defense budget and welcome the fact you have already started to do so. I count on Germany to keep up the momentum and stand by its commitments, because this is about investing in our security, preserving peace and preventing conflict," Stoltenberg said after having a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

He also stressed that a strong NATO was necessary for peace and security in Europe, which requires further investments in making the alliance ready to operate in an unpredictable world.

Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron told The Economist magazine that there is currently no security cooperation between Europe and the United States, essentially leaving the NATO "brain dead."

Both the German chancellor and the NATO secretary general disagreed with that assessment of the current situation.