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New NATO chief sets a conciliatory tone with Russia

02 October 2014 04:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg took office as NATO Secretary General on Wednesday in Brussels, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Taking the helm of NATO at a challenging time for the international community, Stoltenberg said he will keep the NATO strong.

"So as I take office, these are my three priorities: keep NATO strong, help keep our neighborhood stable by working with partners, and keep the bond between Europe and North America rock solid," Stoltenberg told his first press conference on Wednesday.

The 55-year-old Norwegian took office at the height of a Russia-West standoff, but he said "I see no contradiction between a strong NATO and our continued effort to build a constructive relationship with Russia."

Describing the crisis in Ukraine as a major challenge to the Euro-Atlantic security, Stoltenberg said, "the ceasefire in Ukraine offers an opportunity," though he admitted the ceasefire is fragile at the same time. "We need to see a clear change in Russia's actions," he said.

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg pledged to continue "full support" for Ukraine. "We will start implementing the NATO trust funds to support Ukraine in four areas: cyber, logistics, command and control, and rehabilitation of wounded soldiers."

As for the fight against the Islamic State (IS) militants, Stoltenberg said NATO will only take action under the request of the Iraqi government. The international coalition including NATO Allies and regional partners is taking "decisive actions" against the IS, he said.

With a responsibility to implementing the Wales Summit decision to reinforce collective defense, to expand NATO's network of partnerships and preserve a strong transatlantic bond, the alliance's 13th secretary general called on the member states to "invest more."

"We must invest in our Alliance politically and financially," Stoltenberg told reporters. "At the Wales summit, we agreed to reverse the trend of declining defense budgets, and to raise them over the coming decade."

Earlier in the day, Stoltenberg chaired his first meeting of the North Atlantic Council, which reviewed the changing security landscape around the alliance.

The former Norwegian prime minister was appointed by the 28 Allies in March to succeed Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO chief. Rasmussen's term expired on Tuesday after 5 years and 2 months.

Stoltenberg was previously Prime Minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2013.