A look at the meeting of NATO foreign ministers

 The two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the member countries of NATO was held on April 3 and 4, 2024, in Brussels. In addition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, for the first time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, a new member of NATO, attended this meeting. This meeting was held on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO. It was considered a kind of preparation for the NATO Summit, which is scheduled to be held in Washington in July. On the eve of this summit, the Secretary General of NATO, while warning that any delay in supporting Ukraine will have dire implications on the battlefield, stated that one of the goals of this summit is to provide more support to this country and added: Over the two days, ministers will discuss how NATO can take more responsibility for coordinating the delivery of military equipment and training, as well as securing a multi-year financial commitment to Ukraine. Stoltenberg emphasized that the war in Ukraine showed that our security is not regional but global. Germany's 600 million euro contribution to the artillery defense initiative led by the Czech Republic, the sending of 10,000 drones to Ukraine, the sending of armored equipment and missiles by France, and finally, the 188 million euro contribution of Finland are among the items that have recently been included in NATO's policy to support Ukraine has taken place.

The global implications of the war in Ukraine, including Iran, China, and North Korea's support for Russia, were among the other topics discussed by the ministers in the recent meeting. Ministers of NATO partner countries, including the European Union, Indo-Pacific, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, were also present at the meeting and reviewed ways to strengthen cooperation to deal with cyber and hybrid threats and cooperation in new defense technologies.

The discussion and exchange of opinions of the ministers regarding the report of the NATO expert group regarding the southern neighbors (the Middle East and North Africa) was one of the important topics on the agenda of the meeting. The review report of the eleven-member group of NATO experts emphasizes the link between the developments of the southern neighbors and NATO, and it is concluded that the deep local challenges will be aggravated by strategic competition on a global scale and increasing threats such as climate change.

The group of NATO experts recommended that the organization should continue to adopt a comprehensive approach based on conversation, development, and practical cooperation with international and regional organizations and partner countries and to increase its efforts, especially in areas such as the fight against terrorism, maritime security, resilience, climate security, women, peace and security and human security. NATO should invest more in training and building the capacity of partners to manage complex security challenges in its neighborhood. It is supposed that in the upcoming summit of the leaders of the organization in Washington, the leaders of NATO countries and governments will review the specific proposals that they have reached from the findings of this review.

At the press conference of the NATO Secretary General, which was held on April 4, Stoltenberg stated: Today, I was in charge of managing the meeting of NATO foreign ministers with the presence of Indo-Pacific partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union. We discussed the global implications of Russia's war against Ukraine, including China, North Korea, and Iran's support for Russia (...). The context of our cooperation with our Indo-Pacific partners goes back to the security link that exists between us. What happens in the Indo-Pacific region is important for Europe, and what happens in Europe is important for the Indo-Pacific. The war in Ukraine illustrates this importance well as we see how China is supporting the Russian war economy and giving them dual-purpose equipment that is used in the Russian military industry. Instead, Russia entrusts its future to Beijing, and then we see how Iran and North Korea send ammunition, missiles, and drones to Russia. In return, Russia supports the missile technology and nuclear programs of these countries. Stoltenberg had similar positions in an exclusive conversation with the BBC on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO. In this interview, he stated: The Alliance of Authoritarian Governments is cooperating more closely against Western democracies. Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea are more united and aligned. The countries of this authoritarian alliance provide practical support to each other, provide each other with technology and military equipment, and are becoming more aligned day by day. NATO has been forced to cooperate with countries beyond its geography, such as Japan and South Korea, to prevent the alliance of authoritarian regimes from becoming stronger.

Considerations:

• The report of the NATO expert group regarding the southern neighbors, which was discussed at the recent meeting of foreign ministers, has not been published publicly. In the press conference of the Secretary-General, Stoltenberg stated that he expects the publication of the report of the group of experts. Certainly, a part of the report is dedicated to the issues affecting our country. It seems that the recent statements of the NATO Secretary General regarding the alliance of the countries of Iran, China, Russia and North Korea and expressing concern about further cooperation between them are also affected by the report of the group above regarding the southern neighbors.
• The NATO Secretary General appointed the eleven-person group of experts in October 2023. Responsible for reviewing developments in NATO's southern neighbors, including the Middle East and North Africa, providing concrete recommendations to shape the alliance's future approach, and identifying opportunities for greater cooperation with NATO partners, international organizations, and other international actors was entrusted to this group.

Reza Haghigi, an expert at the Institute for Political and International Studies

  (The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the IPIS)