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14 April 2016

Brexit would be bad for security in Europe warns Nato chief after Downing street talks with David Cameron

By Tim Sculthorpe

Mailonline Deputy Political Editor

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg refused to comment on the referendum

But he warned a more fragmented Europe would be 'bad for Nato' 

Security arguments have been at the heart of the referendum battle 

Stoltenberg spoke out after talks at No 10 with David Cameron 

For more on the EU referendum visit www.dailymail.co.uk/EUref

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg today warned a more fragmented Europe would be 'bad for Nato' following Downing Street talks with David Cameron.

The alliance secretary general insisted he did not want to comment on the specific question of Britain's EU referendum.

But Mr Stoltenberg warned a 'strong UK in Europe' was important for international security.

The talks with Mr Cameron focused on stability in Europe and the fight against terrorism.  

Mr Stoltenberg said: 'I will not comment on the ongoing debate in the UK on whether the UK is going to stay or not in the European Union.

'That is up to the people of Britain to decide.

'But what I can do is to say what matters for Nato.

'A strong UK in Europe is good for our security, it is good for Nato and I welcome that.

'A more fragmented Europe is bad for our security and it is bad for Nato.'

Mr Stoltenberg said the EU and Nato were 'complementary' in crises such as Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, when the EU implemented economic sanctions while Nato delivered military deterrence.

The Secretary General added: 'All of these measures are of great importance delivered by Nato and the EU.

'We also see the importance of the UK being so supportive both inside Nato and inside the European Union promoting increased co-operation between Nato and the EU.'

Welcoming Mr Stoltenberg to Number 10, Mr Cameron said the EU plays an 'important' role in maintaining Britain's security and strength.

The PM said the talks, ahead of a Nato summit in Warsaw in July, were focused on the fight against terror, the migrant crisis in the Aegean, the need to 'stand up strongly and firmly against Russian aggression' in Ukraine, and the situations in Libya and Afghanistan.

While he did not mention the UK's upcoming referendum on EU membership, Mr Cameron made a point of stressing the 28-nation bloc's role in preserving stability.

Mr Cameron said: 'I'm sure we will be talking about the co-operation between the EU and Nato, because these are both important for our security and for our stability, for Britain's strength and power in the world and indeed for fighting the terrorism we face from Daesh.'

After the meeting, Mr Cameron's official spokeswoman said: 'They talked about the role the EU and Nato play alongside each other tackling some of the challenges that we face - whether that is looking at migration where we have been able to use Nato resources to help support numbers in the Aegean but it is a EU-led Naval mission that is currently working in the Central Mediterranean.'

Security concerns have been a focus of debate in the referendum campaign to date. 

Shadow foreign secretary Hilary Benn yesterday raised fears that Brexit would leave Britain at risk from terrorists and 'infiltrators'.

He insisted the security case for remaining in the European Union at June's referendum was clear.

For the Leave campaign, Tory defence minister Penny Mordaunt has insisted quitting the European Union would 'risk nothing' and could enhance Britain's security - echoing calls for Brexit from Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6.

Speaking to the BBC last week, Ms Mordaunt said: 'We risk nothing by taking back control of our borders and our laws that underpin this framework.

'It's not a gamble. Staying in is a gamble, because this is only going to get worse. We have to take back control. That is what is required to keep our nation safe.'

'Jeremy Corbyn is going to make a major speech on Europe this week, so you will see us now really taking the lead in this campaign because it is such a serious matter and it is about Labour voters, but it's also about large numbers of young people who want to look to the future.' 

Press Association 2014

14 Apr 2016

A more fragmented Europe is bad for security

A more fragmented Europe would be "bad for Nato", the military alliance's secretary general has said.

While stressing that he did not want to comment on the upcoming referendum on the UK's EU membership, Jens Stoltenberg said that a "strong UK in Europe" was good for security and good for Nato.

He was speaking after talks at 10 Downing Street with Prime Minister David Cameron, who stressed the importance of both the EU and Nato in maintaining stability in Europe and fighting terrorism.

Mr Stoltenberg said: "I will not comment on the ongoing debate in the UK on whether the UK is going to stay or not in the European Union. That is up to the people of Britain to decide.

"But what I can do is to say what matters for Nato. A strong UK in Europe is good for our security, it is good for Nato and I welcome that.

"A more fragmented Europe is bad for our security and it is bad for Nato."

Mr Stoltenberg said the EU and Nato were "complementary" in crises such as Russia's aggression towards Ukraine, when the EU implemented economic sanctions while Nato delivered military deterrence.

"All of these measures are of great importance delivered by Nato and the EU," he said.

"We also see the importance of the UK being so supportive both inside Nato and inside the European Union promoting increased co-operation between Nato and the EU."

Welcoming Mr Stoltenberg to Number 10, Mr Cameron said the EU plays an "important" role in maintaining Britain's security and strength.

The PM said the talks, ahead of a Nato summit in Warsaw in July, were focused on the fight against terror, the migrant crisis in the Aegean, the need to "stand up strongly and firmly against Russian aggression" in Ukraine, and the situations in Libya and Afghanistan.

While he did not mention the UK's upcoming referendum on EU membership, Mr Cameron made a point of stressing the 28-nation bloc's role in preserving stability.

Mr Cameron said: "I'm sure we will be talking about the co-operation between the EU and Nato, because these are both important for our security and for our stability, for Britain's strength and power in the world and indeed for fighting the terrorism we face from Daesh."

Mr Cameron said he would discuss with the former Norwegian PM "all the steps we take as Nato powers and as EU powers to make sure we keep terrorists outside of our continent and out of the UK".

And he said he wanted to talk about how to ensure that ongoing Nato operations against people-smugglers in the Aegean Sea "work and work well".

On Russia, Mr Cameron said Nato must ensure "we stand up strongly and firmly against Russian aggression, including in Ukraine, and that we make sure that there is strong deterrence and a strong eastern presence for Nato".

Mr Stoltenberg said Britain was "showing the way" for other European states by meeting the target of spending 2% of GDP on defence agreed at a previous summit of the transatlantic military alliance in Newport.

He said Nato could "count on the UK and count on David" in the fight against terrorism, dealing with the migration crisis and the expansion of co-operation between the EU and Nato.

"I use the UK as an example for all the European allies, that it is possible to invest in defence and to meet the pledge we made together after the summit in Wales to invest 2% of GDP in defence," said Mr Stoltenberg.

Speaking after the hour-long meeting, Mr Cameron's official spokeswoman said initial signs indicate that the increased Nato presence in the Aegean is helping reduce the number of people seeking to cross into Europe by sea from Turkey.

Under new arrangements agreed between Ankara and the EU, Nato vessels spotting people-smuggling boats have been passing on their location to the Turkish coastguard, allowing 13 to be intercepted and turned back between March 11 and April 5.

The Royal Navy's RFA Fort Victoria joined the operation last week, taking over from RFA Mounts Bay.

The spokeswoman said Mr Cameron and Mr Stoltenberg also agreed on the importance of using the upcoming Warsaw summit to send "strong messages to Russia to behave in accordance with international law and to implement the Minsk agreement" on restoring stability to Ukraine.

In a statement distributed by the Britain Stronger In Europe campaign, former British ambassador Sir Nigel Sheinwald, who was Tony Blair's foreign policy adviser from 2003-07, said: "Britain is stronger and more influential in the world thanks to our leading role in numerous international organisations, including the EU and Nato.

"As Jens Stoltenberg said, these institutions are complementary, not competitive. Nato is the cornerstone of our defence policy, while being part of Europe makes our economy stronger and our foreign policy more effective. Membership of both makes our crucial relationship with the US stronger, too.

"Were we to leave Europe, our ability to protect our citizens and shape the world to our advantage would be weakened. By cutting our businesses off from our home market of 500 million European consumers, jobs and growth would be hit. And by cutting ourselves off from our European partners, our foreign policy heft would be reduced."