China urged NATO to end activities with outgoing secretary general

NATO should end its activities with outgoing alliance secretary general Jens Stoltenberg because it has not contributed to the creation of a more peaceful and secure order in 75 years of its existence. Global Times reported on September 21.

"We call on NATO to 'retire' as soon as possible, along with its secretary general and outdated concepts based on a Cold War mentality and zero-sum game," the publication said.

According to the newspaper, the North Atlantic Alliance is the root of the emergence of security dilemmas. Stoltenberg's farewell speech, which he delivered on September 19, demonstrated that the modern world does not need a military bloc that provokes confrontation.

In addition, Global Times argues that NATO positions itself as a regional association, but "under the guise of ensuring its own security, it is constantly expanding globally."

Earlier, on September 16, Stoltenberg said that the North Atlantic Alliance would not be part of the conflict if NATO countries approved Western weapons strikes on Russian territory. At the same time, he announced that the countries of the association had not yet reached a consensus on inviting Ukraine to the alliance.

Before that, on September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said about the consequences of Kiev's possible permission to launch strikes against Russia. According to the head of state, this would mean direct involvement of the West in the Ukrainian conflict. Russia will be forced to make decisions taking into account possible threats, he said.

A member of the State Duma defense committee, Andrei Kolesnik, in turn, called the head of the alliance an outgoing political figure. The deputy noted that the NATO Secretary General's statement could cause serious harm to his country, but he apparently does not think about it.

Stoltenber's term of office expires on October 1. On the same day, the official handover to the new secretary general, former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, will take place at NATO headquarters.