NATO foreign ministers gather to prepare summit amid tensions with France

20 Nov, 2019 10:21 / Updated 5 years ago

NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels to prepare a leaders’ summit in two weeks amid tensions over French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements about the alliance’s role.

France is concerned about a lack of US leadership at NATO, the unpredictability of Turkey after its invasion of northern Syria and the need for Europe to take on more security responsibilities, AP said.

Wednesday’s meeting at NATO headquarters is aimed at finalizing the “summit deliverables.”  The results will be announced at the December 3-4 leaders’ gathering near London.

The ministers will endorse a confidential report laying out NATO’s new policy toward China. They will announce space as the “fifth domain” of security, following land, sea, air and cyberspace. Ties with Russia and counter-terrorism efforts are also on the agenda.