NATO deputy chief calls for closer cooperation with EU

BRUSSELS, March 5 (KUNA) -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow Thursday called for deeper cooperation between NATO and the European Union in the fight against new security threats.
"We need to work together to manage crises, bring relief, and project stability beyond our borders," he said.
According to a NATO statement, Vershbow made his remarks in Riga, Latvia in a speech to the Interparliamentary Conference for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy. Latvia holds the current EU presidency.
He pointed to areas for deepened cooperation between NATO and the EU, including support for Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova; as well as for nations to the south.
"There is a key role for the European Union to help these countries with political and economic reforms, to build strong institutions, and to fight corruption," he said.
The NATO deputy chief warned that the Euro-Atlantic community faces "new threats and challenges both on our eastern and our southern borders." To the east, we see "an angry Russia that breaks international rules" and continues to destabilise Ukraine and intimidate its neighbours, he said.
Meanwhile, to the south, across the Middle East and North Africa, "ISIL's violent ideology has poured oil on the fire of extremism and sectarianism" he said. (end) nk.sd