Merkel Says NATO Still Necessary Today As 'Anchor Of Stability'

Sumaira FH Published February 16, 2019 | 04:07 PM

NATO remains a very important organization nowadays, serving as an "anchor of stability" in the "stormy" times, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday

MUNICH (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th February, 2019) NATO remains a very important organization nowadays, serving as an "anchor of stability" in the "stormy" times, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Saturday.

"We talked at the time [whether] we still need NATO today. Oh yes, we do need NATO as an anchor of stability on the stormy sea," Merkel said at the Munich Security Conference.

According to Merkel, NATO is not only a military alliance but a "community of shared values."

"We should never forget that NATO was founded not only as a military alliance but as an alliance of nations that share the same values as regards human rights, as regards democracy, guidelines that we all share," she added.

Since US President Donald Trump took office in 2017, he has repeatedly criticized NATO as an obsolete organization and blasted EU allies, including Germany, over their failure to meet the 2-percent GDP defense spending target, prompting speculation that the US president might pull his country out of the military alliance.

Last November, French President Emmanuel Macron called for establishment of a European army that would "protect" the union from China, Russia and even the United States.

Merkel swiftly welcomed the idea, adding that "the times when we could rely on others are over." She however stressed that the future EU army would complement NATO and in no way call into question Europe's ties with the alliance.