NATO should find ways to support the process of Ukrainian accession to NATO, said Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský while discussing NATO-Ukrainian relations with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Monday.
“In connection with the forthcoming summit in Vilnius, I have expressed my wish that the Ukrainian leadership should be involved in this summit and that President Zelensky should speak there,” Lipavský said after the meeting.
“At the same time, NATO should find formats of cooperation that will support both Ukrainian entries into NATO, the transition, and that will help address security in Europe,” Lipavský added.
Lipavský also told Stoltenberg that Prague would like to host an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers next year. This year the meeting takes place in Oslo, Norway.
Lipavský also discussed the situation in Taiwan, noting that Chinese officials ‘walk the talk’ when they speak about “military escalation towards Taiwan”.
Czechia is well-known for its good ties with Taiwan, an island that China sees as one of its provinces. These days, the Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies is visiting Taiwan together with a large delegation of politicians, officers and representatives of Czech businesses.
“Whatever happens in the Indo-Pacific will have a direct impact on Europe’s security,” Lipavský stressed, adding that the US is heavily involved in the area and it could withdraw some of its forces from Europe and send them there.
“The US is engaged there (indo-pacific region), it may mean that they will need some synergy with Europe or that they will take some military resources out of Europe,” Lipavský also said.
(Aneta Zachová | EURACTIV.cz)
Source: euractiv.com
