NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg  (credit: nato.int)

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg  spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden today  about the start of a new chapter for the transatlantic Alliance that was severely strained under the previous American Trump administration.  The NATO chief congratulated President Biden on his inauguration, which Stoltenberg said was “a powerful demonstration of the strength of America’s democracy and the values we share.”   Stoltenberg also welcomed the American President’s  focus on rebuilding alliances, stressing that “NATO is the place where Europeans and Americans meet every day  and that together, we can face challenges that none of our nations can face alone.”   President Biden and Stoltenberg  agreed to work together on preparing the NATO Summit in Brussels later this year.  They discussed the range of challenges that NATO Allies face, such as countering international terrorism, including in Afghanistan and Iraq, dealing with a more assertive Russia, and addressing the implications for our security of the rise of China. They also affirmed their intention to work together on other global challenges such as climate change and the pandemic, according to a statement from NATO. 

“I warmly welcome the election of Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. I know Mr. Biden as a strong supporter of NATO and the transatlantic relationship. US leadership is as important as ever in an unpredictable world, and I look forward to working very closely with President-elect Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and the new administration to further strengthen the bond between North America and Europe. A strong NATO is good for North America and good for Europe.”

-NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Bilateral meeting between NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Vice President Joe Biden  Apr. 4, 2016 (nato.int)

President Trump had a strained relationship with the NATO military alliance, with  his demands the bloc spend more on defense and even threatened to withdraw from NATO.