NATO General-Secretary Stoltenberg Begins Visit To US On Wednesday

NATO General-Secretary Stoltenberg Begins Visit to US on Wednesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th September, 2018) NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg begins his two-day visit to the United States on Wednesday.

During his stay in the country, Stoltenberg will meet with senior US officials and members of Congress. However, the NATO chief is not expected to meet with President Donald Trump, who has been a harsh critic of the military alliance.

The State Department has announced Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet Stoltenberg on Friday.

Stoltenberg will also deliver remarks at the Heritage Foundation on the value of NATO in the 21st century.

Trump has called NATO obsolete, but said after the alliance's summit in Brussels in July that NATO is becoming strong again because of his efforts to hold member states accountable with respect to their defense spending commitments.

Only five out of 29 NATO members - Estonia, Greece, Latvia, the United Kingdom, and the United States - spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense, according to NATO.