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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday welcomed the extension of the ceasefire in Gaza. They spoke before a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the alliance in Brussels, at the center of which, in addition to the crisis in the Middle East, will be the continued support for Ukraine. One of the topics at the meeting will be stability in the Western Balkans.
Secretary Blinken, in comments to the media together with Secretary Stoltenberg before the start of the meeting, emphasized the role of the alliance in the face of major global challenges.
"The NATO alliance is more important than ever before. During the last three years, we have seen that NATO has shown itself to be a central factor in the conditions of the challenges we face", he said.
Mr. Blinken reaffirmed American support for Ukraine in the face of Russia's aggression. In the same line were the comments of Secretary Stoltenberg, who said that it is the alliance's obligation to supply Kiev with the weapons it needs.
"Ukraine will be the main topic. Russian attacks continue. Intense fighting continues along the front line, and this makes it even more important that NATO allies continue to help Ukraine.
The two senior diplomats also welcomed the extension of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
"I am very happy that the hostages are returning to their homes, to their loved ones. We are determined to continue our efforts as long as necessary, to make it possible for as many people as possible to return to their homes," said Mr. Blinken.
"This enables much-needed relief for residents in Gaza, as well as the release of more hostages and the delivery of further humanitarian aid," Mr Stoltenberg said.
Mr. Blinken and Mr. Stoltenberg said that stability in the Western Balkans will be one of the topics of the NATO meeting. Earlier, Mr. Stoltenberg spoke in more detail about the challenges of the region, which he visited last week. He expressed concern about rising tensions, referring specifically to inflammatory rhetoric in Bosnia and tensions between Kosovo and Serbia, including the September 24 attack in Banjska and violence against alliance peacekeeping forces.
"These are serious incidents and we must continue to pay attention to the Western Balkans," he said.
Mr. Stoltenberg promised that this attention will continue despite major global challenges, with the conflict in the Middle East and support for Ukraine.
"Be sure that NATO will do everything necessary to support and ensure stability in the region, because this is important not only for the Western Balkans, but also for all of Europe and NATO," he said.
The head of NATO mentioned the increase in the number of troops in Kosovo and said that the alliance will work closely with partners and allies in the region to ease tensions and prevent any escalation of the conflict. / VOA
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