U.S. Chief of Staff General Mark Milley stressed that it was important for NATO to show solidarity with Sweden and Finland at the time these two countries applied to join the alliance.
“This thing is important to the United States, this is the first time a ship of this size has crossed the sea,” Milley said at a press conference aboard the massive US ship, the USS Kearsarge. Stockholm against the backdrop of the start of “Baltops” military exercises. Stockholm Archipelago. 14 NATO countries, 44 ships and approximately 100 aircraft are participating in the exercises.
“Everything is different this year. It is important that NATO countries show solidarity with Sweden and Finland after applying to join the alliance. ”
According to him, Sweden will make an important contribution to the alliance when it becomes a member.
“Sweden may not have the largest army, but it has strong capabilities at various levels, including a very high quality and leading air force, modern technical equipment, a strong navy and well-trained ground forces. . ”
He noted that the membership of Sweden and Finland will significantly strengthen NATO’s position in the Baltic Sea region.
“What we see in Stockholm today sends an important message to the world about security in our region. It is important that some countries are represented here today, we are in a difficult situation, which makes our cooperation even more important, ”said the Swedish Minister of Defense. Peter Hultqvist said at a press conference.
We might call it a new Cold War or a new Iron Curtain, but we need to understand what is going on around us right now. That is why democracies must stay together, ”he said.
Source: TASS
Source: Arabic RT
