Cooperation and coordination between NATO and the European Union.. Why were Russia's expectations disappointed? What is the most serious threat to security in the world?

In response to what they called the most serious threat to security in decades, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels signed a joint declaration of cooperation and coordination.

So what did he come up with?

And what does that mean?

The declaration signed by NATO and the institutions of the European Union includes a pledge to strengthen cooperation between the two sides in the face of the Russian war on Ukraine, and it also touched on China as a challenge in the face of a world that wants to change, and it is the third declaration that has been signed between these parties since 2016, in order to enhance cooperation between them. In an increasingly turbulent world.

With regard to Beijing, the declaration stated that China has become a challenge to the principles of both parties.

And if Ukraine's support in the face of Russia represented the pivotal point of the agreement, then this will not end the debate within the European house, which revolves around demands for a more independent European defense policy in the face of threats.

In this regard, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that the partnership with the European Union is more important than ever, and that there is a need to increase the level of military support provided to Ukraine.

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Regarding the purpose of this announcement, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Affairs Michael Ryan explained - in his interview with the "Behind the News" program (11/1/2023) - that this announcement is an indication of broader and deeper cooperation between NATO and the institutions of the European Union. .

He also indicated that the members of the two organizations want to integrate their capabilities to work more closely, as well as increase the effectiveness of their capabilities in supporting security and stability in Europe and North America, explaining that the developments of the war in Ukraine accelerated the pace of this cooperation.

Tragic conditions

Contrary to what was expected, Ambassador Andrei Baklanov, Vice-President of the Association of Russian Diplomats, explained that Moscow, after hearing the text of the joint conference, felt relieved, because it was expected that there would be tragic situations that could lead to "dramatic" results.

As for China, he believed that the document speaks cautiously about Beijing because European countries truly fear China and do not want to spoil their relations with it, considering that the document is "weak" and against all expectations because it does not contain any new developments in the field of cooperation between NATO and the European Union and its organizations.

For his part, Professor of International Relations at the University of Geneva, Hosni Obeidi, said that the prolonged war in Ukraine and its high cost on the economic, environmental, military and political levels made the European Union convinced to put an end to some internal disputes related to defense and state security, considering that raising the degree of partnership and cooperation between the European Union and the Alliance Atlantic would reduce the loss and raise military coordination between them.