Off the wire
• Azerbaijani president calls for less dependence on oil and gas  • Slovenia declares to relocate 567 refugees from Italy, Greece  • Britain backs 38 bln U.S. dollar plan for new cross-London rail line  • UN chief urges investigations on peacekeeper sexual abuse to be concluded within six months  • Obama acknowledges partisan divide widened in his presidency  • UN chief calls for restraint after Iran's missile tests  • Spanish stock market rises 0.07 pct, closes at 8,766 points  • 1st LD Writethru: UN chief "gravely concerned" by situation on Korean Peninsula  • British FTSE 100 decreases 1.78 pct on Thursday  • Biden's visit to Ramallah only aims to avoid int'l reproach: analyst  
You are here: 　 Home

NATO, EU highlight cooperation to tackle refugee crisis

Xinhua, March 11, 2016 Adjust font size:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday stressed the vital importance of the relationship between two organizations, especially cooperation in addressing the refugee crisis during their meeting.

Visiting the European Commission on Thursday, Stoltenberg welcomed the organizations' deepening ties, saying "that is something we need more than ever, because we face a more challenging security environment."

"We decided once again, and that is what we are doing since we last met, to step up our cooperation," Juncker said at the joint press conference.

Stoltenberg said that NATO and the European Union (EU) are working together more closely than before in responding to Europe's refugee and migrant crisis and NATO has decided to expand its support for the EU.

Stressing the importance of the NATO's operations in the Aegean sea, Juncker added that "we are both convinced that the cooperation between NATO and the EU in the Aegean will lead to a substantial reduction of irregular crossings and allow us to effectively manage the Union's external borders and break smugglers' cruel business models."

They also discussed ways to increase joint work to counter hybrid threats in areas including early warning, supporting critical infrastructure, and cyber.

Stoltenberg underlined that the European Council in June and NATO's Warsaw Summit in July will be "important milestones," marking a unique opportunity to deepen their cooperation. Endit