The coronavirus pandemic has put a spotlight on global tensions as countries race to limit the spread of the coronavirus and develop a cure for the highly contagious virus, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.
Global leaders have called for global cooperation to eradicate the virus and develop a vaccine, but efforts have put nations on the defensive as the coronavirus continues to spread and the death count continues to rise.
Mr. Stoltenberg said during a virtual event hosted by the Atlantic Council on Monday that the novel coronavirus has “magnified existing trends and tensions when it comes to our security,” pointing to ongoing Russian military activities and violence in Afghanistan.
He said that the continuing rise of China, where the coronavirus began late last year, is “fundamentally shifting the global balance of power.”
NATO has begun looking into how to address a potential second wave of the pandemic as well as a long-term plan to cope with future health crises, Mr. Stoltenberg said.
“We are all in the process of working more on the resilience of our society,” the secretary general continued. “All of that matters for the civilian society, and it matters for NATO’s military alliance … and capabilities”
Mr. Stoltenberg urged cooperation between the 30 NATO members, saying every country has lessons to learn from the response to the pandemic.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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