Nato relevance 'not in question': Top general on Trump barb

BRUSSELS: Nato is as relevant now as when it was founded at the start of the Cold War, a top general said Wednesday after President-elect Donald Trump dubbed the US-led alliance obsolete.
"I am strongly convinced Nato is as relevant today as it was before ... as it adapts to the new situation," General Petr Pavel, the Czech chairman of the Nato Military Committee, told reporters at its Brussels headquarters.
"We can obviously argue about the scope, the depth or path of adaptation but I think the relevance of Nato is not in question," he said.
Asked about Trump's signals about an apparently softer line with Russia, Pavel said: "We in the military try to build assessments on policies rather than individual statements. I personally will wait and then we will see."
Trump's remarks about Nato and Russia have caused uproar in Europe where the allies have just agreed on the biggest military build-up since the end of the Cold War in response to Moscow's Ukraine intervention and annexation of Crimea.
Speaking after meeting top brass from the 28 Nato member states, including Supreme Allied Commander US General Curtis Scaparrotti, Pavel said Nato had repeatedly tried to establish dialogue with Russia but without success.
Nato cut all practical cooperation with Russia over the Ukraine crisis but maintained channels of communication open to avoid any misunderstandings getting out of hand at a time of much-increased tension and military activity.
In practice, however, military-to-military contacts have been non-existent despite some member states, especially Germany, pressing for them.
Pavel said he had contacted his Russian counterparts in Brussels at least five times, most recently last week, in an effort to establish dialogue focusing on risk reduction and transparency.
He rejected Russian charges that Nato was stalling, saying both sides had first to agree on an agenda and a mandate.
"We first have to re-establish contact, re-establish some basic trust and then (set the) agenda," he said.
"That offer is on the table and we now expect a reaction from Moscow." — AFP