麻豆影视

Skip to main content

NATO head says 'no imminent threat' to alliance member countries

Share

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is not worried about military attacks on member countries.

鈥淚 don't see any imminent threat against any NATO ally, and that's because of NATO,鈥 Stoltenberg told CTV鈥檚 Question Period host Vassy Kapelos, in an exclusive broadcast interview airing Sunday. 鈥淣ATO鈥檚 core task, (its) main responsibility, is actually not to fight the war, but to prevent the war.鈥

鈥淎nd the way NATO has prevented war for more than 75 years is make it absolutely clear to any potential adversary that an attack on one ally will trigger a response from the whole alliance,鈥 he added. 鈥淎s long as that is credible, then there will be no military attack against any NATO ally.鈥

Stoltenberg鈥檚 visit to Canada came just weeks before members of the alliance are set to meet for their annual summit July 9 to 11, to celebrate the group鈥檚 75th anniversary.

NATO, now made up of 32 member countries, was established in the aftermath of the Second World War with the goal of promoting collective security, especially through the North Atlantic Treaty's Article Five, which stipulates that an attack on any one members is considered an attack on all.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen told Kapelos in an interview airing Sunday he agrees with Stoltenberg鈥檚 assessment.

While he can鈥檛 remember a time in his life when there鈥檚 been more turmoil and risk in the world, he said, it鈥檚 important to remember the security alliance鈥檚 emphasis on defence.

鈥淚 think the NATO countries are in pretty good shape,鈥 Cohen said. 鈥淎nd I think a big part of that is because of the strength and the power of NATO.鈥

鈥淭he notion that if you invade any NATO country, every inch of any NATO country will be defended by all NATO countries, it's a huge deterrent effect,鈥 he added.

Stoltenberg, who is also the former prime minister of Norway, is set to step aside when his current term ends in October, after a decade serving as secretary-general.

He said standing together in a group such as NATO 鈥 which makes up about half the world鈥檚 鈥渆conomic might,鈥 and about half of the world鈥檚 鈥渕ilitary might鈥 鈥 is more important now than ever 鈥渋n a more dangerous鈥 global context.

Despite his confidence in the collective defence and deterrence NATO provides, Stoltenberg said more alignment with Indo-Pacific countries could be critical to further discouraging offensives from autocratic countries, such as China and Russia.

The alliance鈥檚 upcoming leaders鈥 summit in Washington will also include a focus on strengthening ties with certain Indo-Pacific countries, with officials from South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand 鈥 to name a few 鈥 planning to attend the gathering.

Stoltenberg said that while those countries have partnered with NATO, he doesn鈥檛 imagine them becoming formal members of the alliance.

鈥淏ut it is important that we work more closely with our Asia Pacific partners, because we see how authoritarian nations, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, are aligning more and more, and we see that in particular in Ukraine,鈥 he said.

鈥淲hen they are more aligned, when they support each other, it's even more important that NATO stands together, but also that we work more closely with our partners in the Indo Pacific: Japan, South Korea and others,鈥 he also said.

You can watch Stoltenberg鈥檚 full interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period Sunday at 11 a.m. ET.

IN DEPTH

Opinion

opinion

opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike

When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The British Columbia election campaign is set to officially start today, with Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issuing the writ for the Oct. 19 vote.

A northern Ontario man is facing a $12,000 fine after illegally shooting a moose near the Batchawan River.

Unusual flippered feet are making their way into the Saint Lawrence River this weekend. Led by underwater explorer and filmmaker Nathalie Lasselin, volunteer divers are combing the riverbed near Beauharnois in Mont茅r茅gie to remove hundreds of tires that have been polluting the aquatic environment for decades.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man鈥檚 best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected