Stoltenberg, Milanovic say Greece both an ally and a problem

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said in their address to the press after their talks in Zagreb on Thursday that Greece was a strong ally within NATO, and also a potential security challenge.

Greece has been and remains a strong ally. The Greek government has confirmed several times that it will not tie the debt crisis to its firm commitment to NATO, Stoltenberg said at a news conference when asked about the matter.

Milanovic said that he personally found the situation in Greece to be the biggest security problem.

This is not what should be directly addressed by NATO, however, all that is going on there, or what may happen, is a security issue, the Croatian premier said.

The failure to reach agreement with the creditors will probably cause a further decline of Greece's GDP, which will adversely affect the purchasing power, and will decrease funds for defence, according to Milanovic.

Although the European Union is not primarily a defence alliance, it has a huge responsibility in the matter, he added.

(Hina) ms

News