British PM meets NATO chief ahead of Brussels summit

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday held talks at Downing Street with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of a planned leaders' summit in Brussels later this month.

In a statement, May said she wanted to confirm and reaffirm Britain's commitment to NATO.

"We see it as the bedrock of UK security and we are pleased to be playing the role that we are in the alliance," said May.

She said Britain currently had nearly 1,000 troops in Estonia, Poland and Royal Air Force Typhoons in the Black Sea as part of a project there.

"We very much consider it important that we spend 2 percent of our GDP on defense and also meet the 20 percent on equipment commitment as well," said May.

May said, looking ahead to upcoming leaders' discussions, there will be a number of issues, including encouraging others to play their role in terms of the support for NATO.

Stoltenberg said there will be two topics on the agenda at the meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels on May 25: burden sharing and fighting terrorism. He said Britain is leading by example on both these fronts.

"When it comes to burden sharing, you spend 2 percent of GDP on defense. I welcome that very much and hope your allies are starting to increase also their resonance in defense," he said.

He said of Britain's current NATO activity: "When it comes to burden sharing and contributing to our shared security, you are really a lead nation. Also when it comes to fighting terrorism, I very much appreciate the contributions from the UK. You have been in Afghanistan for many, many years together with NATO allies."

Stoltenberg said NATO's presence in Afghanistan will be addressed at the leaders' meeting in Brussels.

"We will also address what more NATO can do to step up its efforts to fight international terrorism, including providing support to the counter-ISIL coalition," he said. Endit