Security
THE collective defence clause ratified in Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty is “unconditional and iron-clad,” a NATO official said Wednesday.
The statement came in response to the U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks in an interview with Fox News television on Tuesday in which he cast doubt on the collective defence clause while referring to Montenegro.
“Montenegro is a tiny country with very strong people; they are very aggressive people,” Trump said.
“They may get aggressive, and congratulations, you are in World War III.”
“It’s very unfair because they aren’t even paying and we are protecting them,” Trump said, responding to a question by Fox News host Tucker Carlson on sending U.S. troops to defend Montenegro.
Montenegro joined NATO on June 5, 2017, making it the most recent country to become a member.
Montenegro’s defence spending for 2018 has been estimated at 87 million dollars, or 1.58 per cent of annual GDP.
Responding to Trump’s comments, a NATO official reasserted that “an attack on one is an attack on all.”
“President Trump has made clear that the US is fully committed to NATO, and our alliance is strong,” the official said.
“Hundreds of thousands of Europeans and Canadians stood shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. troops, and more than a thousand have paid the ultimate price,” the NATO official added, referencing the first-ever invoking of Article V after the U. S. was attacked on September 11, 2001.
Trump had assured in the interview that the purpose of NATO was to protect Europe from the Russian invasion, but added that “they have to pay, and they weren’t paying.”(Xinhua/NAN)
– Jul. 18, 2018 @ 16:39 GMT |
Tags: NATO reasserts commitment to collective defence after Trump interview
