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  • 29-01-2021 12:57

EU/Presidency: Detachment from NATO would widen divisions in the EU – Minister


Brussels, Jan. 29, 2021 (Lusa) - Portugal's defence minister, João Gomes Cravinho, said on Friday that trying to distance the European Union from NATO "would only deepen the divisions" between member states, arguing instead that "the mechanisms of cooperation" between the two partners should be improved.

"Trying to distance oneself from NATO would only deepen divisions within the EU. He said that "NATO has clearly been, and remains, an important contributor to European collective defence", he stressed during a remote seminar of the Egmont Institute, on "The future of European defence and the priorities of the Portuguese presidency".

Qualifying the idea that there is a contradiction "between the commitment to NATO and the deepening of a European defence policy" of "false and outdated dichotomy", and Portugal "values defence cooperation with the United States and Canada" and that the other 21 EU Member States that are also NATO allies consider the Alliance the "most robust and effective instrument" for European collective defence.

"The concept [of strategic autonomy] should be understood as the ability for the EU to do more, preferably with partners, but alone if necessary. (...) Trying to make the EU's strategic autonomy to do less in NATO or to separate from NATO would, in our view, be a big mistake", he said.

He stressed that a common security and defence policy for the EU should "improve the effectiveness of the European contribution in NATO" but also "consolidate the European defence identity".

He said that the Portuguese presidency of the Council of the EU had made cooperation with the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) one of its priorities, and that the election of Joe Biden as the new president of the United States, meant EU was in a position to "promote greater EU-NATO cooperation" in two respects.

The first, "very practical" aspect is to intensify work on "current affairs" such as military mobility, maritime security, coordination of emergency responses, and hybrid and misinformation threats.

Classifying the second aspect as "most relevant" at the moment, Gomes Cravinho said it was the "dialogue with the new administration in the White House", which he will try to start during the Portuguese presidency.

"We hope that the informal Council of Defence Ministers in March - which we hope can take place in person - will be a good time to renew the political dialogue with our transatlantic partners, in particular with the United States, taking stock of the new administration's approach, which is clearly and fortunately very different from the previous administration," he said.

Pointing out that the present time is to "think big", the minister argued that a strengthening of the cooperation mechanisms between the EU and NATO should not go through the "black and white" definition of "does precisely what", but should serve to have a discussion on sharing responsibilities in "practical areas" in the near future.

In this context, he identified the Sahel region as an area where there could be a "division of responsibilities" between NATO and the European Union (EU).

"One area which I think is very relevant in this respect is the Sahel, which is an area of great instability, of an immediate threat to Europe, and where I think EU member states and European military should have a significant responsibility. NATO support in the region is appreciated, but above all, in terms of the information they can provide", he stressed.

To the contrary, the Eastern Mediterranean is a region of "paramount importance" for both the EU and the Alliance and where it is necessary to "ensure absolutely" that it does not become a region where the partners have "divergent interests" and where NATO can play a central role.

"NATO, with a strong presence and a committed US administration, can make a great difference in bringing about a platform of understanding on the issue of the Eastern Mediterranean, which could be of great benefit to the EU as well, particularly in the way the EU relates to Turkey, which cannot be a 'winner takes all' relationship," he stressed.

TEYA/ADB // ADB.

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