President-elect Joe Biden spoke with the head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Monday. NATO, as it is more commonly known, is a security organization that has bonded the United States with much of Europe for over 70 years.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg updated followers on Twitter after the conversation to let them know he had just spoken with Biden “and congratulated him on his election as the next US President. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen #NATO as the cornerstone of our collective security.”
I just spoke to @JoeBiden and congratulated him on his election as the next US President. I look forward to working with him to further strengthen #NATO as the cornerstone of our collective security. https://t.co/GcRVjRQSzQ
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) November 23, 2020
Stoltenberg also thanked President-elect Joe Biden for being a “long-standing supporter of NATO and the transatlantic relationship.”
In a statement from the Biden transition, it was said that “the president-elect underscored the importance of NATO to U.S. and European security and highlighted the United States’ enduring commitment to NATO – including its bedrock principle of collective defense under Article 5 – and his desire to engage in consultations with Allies on the full range of trans-Atlantic security issues.”
The statement continued, “The president-elect also expressed his desire to work with Secretary General Stoltenberg and Allies to ensure NATO has the strategic orientation and capabilities it needs to strengthen deterrence and to counter new and emerging threats, including climate change and global health security.”
During his time in the White House, President Trump at times had a rocky relationship with NATO and several of its member nations. The president had confrontations with other NATO partners and even appeared to threatened to quit the alliance two years ago.
Biden’s conversation with Stoltenberg was just one of four he had with international leaders on Monday.
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