Tentacles extending towards the Asia NATO summit protested, International Bureau: Building a Weapon Fortress Time | NATO | Fortress

"NATO has intensified tensions and polarization!" "Military alliances will not bring peace!"

The NATO summit will be held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius from July 11th to 12th local time. However, the summit has not yet opened, and protests and criticisms continue to spread.

NATO's grand summit turned Vilnius into a "fortress of weapons". This self proclaimed "defensive" transatlantic military alliance not only took the opportunity to "show off its muscles" to Russia, but also attempted to extend its tentacles to the Asia Pacific region. Its actions will only exacerbate regional tensions, disrupt international security order, and bring clear consequences to the world.

Data chart: NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg.

"Military alliances will not bring peace"

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg recently revealed that the NATO summit aims to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and defense, reach an agreement on a new defense investment commitment, and deepen partnerships with some countries in the Indo Pacific region.

In addition to NATO leaders such as US President Biden and German Chancellor Scholz, Ukrainian President Zelensky is also expected to attend the meeting to push Ukraine to join NATO as soon as possible and seek more allies' support. In addition, the attendees also included leaders from Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is worth noting that the venue of this summit, Vilnius, is only 151 kilometers away from the Russian border and 32 kilometers away from the border between Lithuania and Belarus. Reuters reported that NATO is turning Vilnius into a "weapon fortress" by strengthening security measures, taking the opportunity to "show off its muscles" to Russia.

According to statistics, in order to strengthen the security of the summit, 16 NATO member countries have sent about 1000 soldiers to Lithuania, and some countries have also provided advanced weapon systems. Germany has deployed 12 Patriot missile launch vehicles; Spain brought the "National Advanced Ground to Air Missile System"; France, Finland, and Denmark are busy deploying military aircraft and so on.

However, NATO's grand hosting of the summit has caused dissatisfaction from multiple international organizations and the public, with continuous demonstrations and protests.

The President of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association, Berja, expressed concern that "in an already highly militarized world, NATO has intensified tensions and polarization."

Hartstrom from the International Women's Peace and Freedom Alliance criticized, "Military alliances will not bring peace. Rearmastering will only create conditions for war."

Data picture: President Erdogan of Türkiye. Photo by Sheng Jiapeng, journalist from China News Agency

Desiring to show unity, but seemingly detached

The Wall Street Journal noticed that the NATO summit was carefully planned to showcase "unity and strength" among member states, but in reality, it could not conceal internal differences. During the summit, the question mark was raised about whether Sweden could obtain the final "passport" to join NATO.

As the crisis in Ukraine continues to escalate, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO in May 2022. Finland officially joined the treaty in April 2023. However, due to the opposition of Türkiye and Hungary, Sweden's accession to the Treaty is still uncertain.

Recently, some NATO officials reiterated their support for Sweden's accession to the Treaty. President Biden of the United States called President Erdogan of Türkiye to urge him to give Sweden a "green light". But Türkiye has always been reluctant to relax.

However, on July 10th local time, Turkey's attitude seemed to have changed. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that the Turkish government has agreed to submit the protocol of Sweden's accession to NATO to its parliament for ratification after holding talks with Turkish President Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Christson on the same day.

But CNN pointed out that this does not mean Sweden will immediately become a new NATO member state. On the one hand, Erdogan "linked" Sweden's accession to NATO with Türkiye's accession to the EU that day, saying that Sweden can only join NATO after Türkiye is accepted by the EU.

On the other hand, the report pointed out that Stoltenberg did not provide a specific timetable for Erdogan to submit the protocol to the Turkish Parliament, and was unwilling to give a clear answer on the time of Sweden's accession to the Treaty.

Data image: On December 21, 2022 local time, US President Biden met with Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House. Photo by Chen Meng, journalist from China News Agency

Ukraine's demands are once again being "poured with cold water"

Another highly anticipated issue at this NATO summit is the Ukraine issue.

On July 9th, as usual, Ukrainian President Zelensky once again expressed his desire to join NATO and expressed his hope to "strive for the best results" at this summit. He hopes that the summit can send a clear signal on Ukraine's accession to the treaty.

Faced with Ukraine's urging, Western countries have poured cold water one after another. On July 9th, US President Biden bluntly stated in an interview with US media that Ukraine is "not yet ready.".

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg stated in June that NATO will not formally invite Ukraine to join at the summit. But he also stated that as a "symbolic" initiative, NATO leaders plan to hold the first meeting of the NATO Ukraine Council with Zelensky.

The Guardian analyzed that Ukraine is expected to receive a package of "security guarantees" at the NATO summit, including long-term military assistance and training from countries such as the United States, Britain, France, and Germany. But Ukraine is feeling increasingly pessimistic about taking a significant step towards joining NATO.

US media also reported that NATO is "encouraging its 31 member states to increase military budgets" to help with military aid to Ukraine. According to insiders, representatives of NATO member countries have agreed to commit to spending at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense, and will sign this commitment at the summit.

The Russian side has repeatedly warned and opposed Western countries' "pouring oil into the fire". Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov pointed out that any material containing weapons to aid Ukraine will become a "legitimate target" for Russia. He also stated that the West hopes to delay the Russia Ukraine negotiations in order to cause losses to Russia and drag down the Russian side.

Image: On June 26, 2022, on the eve of the NATO summit held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, protesters held banners and carried out anti NATO demonstrations.

"NATO's eastward expansion is the wrong tool"

"French President Macron warned NATO not to expand into Asia, which is correct." Former Australian Prime Minister Keating emphasized on July 9th that NATO's focus should be on the Atlantic. He warned that NATO's attempt to deepen its ties with Asia may spread the "malicious poison" of European rivalry to Asia.

Keating's statement comes as the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand are about to attend the NATO summit for the second consecutive year.

Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao and other foreign media pointed out that the summit is expected to discuss the establishment of a NATO liaison office in Japan, announce the "establishment of a new partnership" between NATO and Japan, and may also issue a joint statement between NATO and the four countries mentioned above, confirming that NATO will participate in more Asia Pacific affairs.

NATO is constantly probing and gradually extending its reach to the Asia Pacific region, causing high vigilance and strong dissatisfaction among people from multiple countries. Recently, many Japanese citizens and members of the National Assembly gathered and demonstrated in front of the Japanese parliament, protesting that "the plan to establish a NATO liaison office in Japan is a very serious problem" and "this will only lead Japan to a path of no return accompanied by war."

South Korean people also gathered near the South Korean presidential palace to protest. The protesters said, "The NATO Chinese Revolutionary League has triggered military tensions. Yin Xiyue's presence at the summit is a gamble on the lives and survival rights of the Korean people."

The United States and the European Union thought that the world would stand on the side of the "West," but the reality is not so. "Non Western countries do not accept American hegemony. Europe should also reject American hegemony. NATO's eastward expansion is a wrong tool." American economist Jeffrey Sachs commented on NATO.

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