Stoltenberg, Mattis stress NATO's adaptation to challenges

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis stressed NATO's adapting to the security challenges at a press conference Wednesday.

The meeting marked first NATO defense ministers meeting of Mattis, who ever served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation.

The NATO chief stressed that the Alliance has to continue to adapt to a new security environment and that's exactly what ministers are going to address at the meeting.

Underlining U.S. commitment to the transatlantic bond, Mattis stated: "The Alliance remains a fundamental bedrock for the United States. President [Donald] Trump has stated he has strong support for NATO."

"NATO is in the midst of transformation; it has always been adapting to security challenges," added Mattis.

Mattis also called for fair burden-sharing among Allies. "It's a fair demand that all who benefit from the best defense in the world carry their proportionate share of the necessary cost to defend freedom," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who referred to NATO as "obsolete" in the past, said during his campaign that he would decide whether to come to allies' aid only after reviewing if those nations had "fulfilled their obligations to us." Enditem