MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The time has come to sign a new EU-NATO declaration, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday after holding talks on the Ukrainian crisis with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels.
"NATO-EU cooperation contributes to security and stability so we believe the time has come to agree a new Joint Declaration to take our partnership forward," Stoltenberg said on Twitter.
The EU and NATO were supposed to sign a cooperation declaration in late 2021 but the work on the document still continues. Its contents have not been disclosed.
On July 12, the EU expressed its readiness to forge ahead in negotiations with NATO on the joint declaration after the approval of the European defense strategy, the Strategic Compass, and the adoption of a new strategic concept at the Madrid summit.
The new European strategy provides for the formation of a strong EU Rapid Deployment Capacity of up to 5,000 troops for different types of crises, which will be able to operate independently from NATO. At the same time, EU representatives emphasize that NATO remains the main organization for ensuring the security in Europe.
Secretary General of the EU External Action Service Stefano Sannino said that the EU-NATO declaration should reflect the "geopolitical context," new areas of cooperation, including on hybrid threats, space, disruptive technologies, the impact of environment and climate change on security, the fight against disinformation and interference in internal affairs, as well as cooperation in the areas of defense planning.
