Riga. November 28. INTERFAX/BNS - The North Atlantic Alliance is concerned about the information about the concentration of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine and calls on Russia to de-escalate the situation, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday.
According to the BNS news agency, Stoltenberg made such a statement after a meeting with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Prime Minister of Latvia Krisjanis Karins.
"He (NATO Secretary General - IF) noted that the alliance is concerned about the increased presence of Russian troops near the borders with Ukraine, so NATO countries will continue to support it in solidarity - both political and practical," BNS reports.
Stoltenberg recalled that NATO foreign ministers will arrive in Riga tomorrow to discuss the unity of the alliance in this difficult time. "It is important that we can count on large and strong organizations. We must demonstrate the ability to cooperate, and this is confirmed by the fact that we are here together," the NATO Secretary General stressed.
It is noted that during the meeting, the partners also discussed in detail the risks to regional security and how Belarus "cynically uses innocent people to put pressure on its neighbors."
"We confirm our full solidarity with Latvia and other countries that are experiencing the consequences of such behavior by Belarus," the NATO Secretary General said.
He also noted that the alliance has been actively increasing its presence in the Baltic region in recent years. For the first time in the history of the organization, NATO combat groups were deployed in the Baltic States. Baltic airspace is being actively patrolled, and NATO's presence at sea has also been increased.
