Brussels, 28 November 2023 (MIA) - Different pressing security issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine, will be addressed by NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in his doorstep statement ahead of the meetings of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs, adding that other issues will also be addressed including challenges that China presents, Sweden's membership bid, as well as the situation in the Western Balkans. 

"I just returned from a visit to the region, to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and I met also leaders from the whole region. What we see there, is that tensions are increasing. We have seen increased tensions and inflammatory rhetoric in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have seen some serious incidents of violence in Kosovo, including attacks on NATO peacekeepers, 93 NATO soldiers were wounded, some of them were very seriously wounded, and we also saw the Banjska incident where actually three people were killed," said Stoltenberg.

According to him, MIA's Brussels correspondent reports, these are serious incidents and NATO needs to stay focused on the Western Balkans. 

"Rest assured, NATO will do what is necessary to sustain or to ensure stability in the region, because this is important for, not only for the Western Balkans but for the whole of Europe and NATO. We have a presence there, we work together with the European Union, the EUFOR force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we have a presence in Kosovo and in light of the increased tensions we have over the last few weeks added 1,000 more troops to our military presence in Kosovo. We will work closely with partners, with allies in the region to ensure that we do what is possible to reduce tensions and prevent any escalation of the conflict," Stoltenberg said. 

He welcomed the extension of the humanitarian pause in the hostilities in Gaza, adding that it has allowed for much-needed relief for the people in Gaza, the release of more hostages, and also the provision or delivery of more humanitarian aid.

"We will of course discuss the situation in Ukraine. We see intense fighting along the frontline, and we have seen a wave of drone attacks against Ukrainian cities, and we need to be prepared for more fighting and also more air and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. This just makes it even more important that NATO Allies continue to support Ukraine," Stoltenberg stressed. 

He also welcomed recent announcements by Allies of additional support, including Germany announcing EUR 8 billion extra and the Netherlands EUR 2 billion extra, the establishment of a training centre in Romania to train F-16 pilots, as well as the coalition established by 20 countries to provide more air defence and coordinate efforts to provide air defence to Ukraine.

Stoltenberg pointed out that at the meeting today and tomorrow, Allies will reiterate their strong support to Ukraine, announcing that Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will take part at the first session of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Wednesday.   

He noted that despite fears and beliefs at the beginning when the full-fledged invasion happened last year, that Ukraine would collapse within weeks and that Kyiv would be under Russian control within days, it did not happen and Ukrainians have been able to liberate around a half of the territory that Russia occupied at the beginning of the war. 

"It's our obligation to ensure that we provide Ukraine with the weapons they need. It will be a tragedy for Ukrainians if President Putin wins, but it will also be dangerous for us. Because then the message to all authoritarian leaders, not only in Moscow, but also to Beijing is that they can violate international law, invade another country, use force to get what they want," Stoltenberg said, adding that therefore the United States and all NATO allies must sustain support to Kyiv.   

As regards Sweden's NATO membership bid, Stoltenberg said he had hoped for full accession of Sweden in NATO by this meeting, but that has not happened. However, he welcomed the news that President Erdoğan has submitted the papers for ratification to the Turkish Parliament, adding that he expects the Parliament to finalize discussions and conclude as soon as possible. 

"Because it will be good for all of us, for Sweden, for NATO, for Türkiye, to have Sweden as a full-fledged member," said Stoltenberg. 

The NATO Secretary General noted that Ankara has legitimate security concerns about terrorism, about working closer together with NATO allies on fighting a real terror threat, adding that Sweden has delivered, NATO has stepped up efforts, and now he also expects Türkiye to deliver.  

North Macedonia's Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani is also attending the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels.