"We will defend every square inch of NATO"
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Sunday that the threat from Russia will be long-lasting, hence the importance of Germany playing a leading role in protecting NATO's eastern flank.
"This change in our security policy is necessary to show Russia that we are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from attack," he told an economic forum in Bad Saarow, in eastern Germany.
"Because without security, everything else counts for nothing. And diplomacy can only succeed from a position of strength," he stressed.
This strength consists of economic, technological and social aspects, said the chancellor, who warned that the rapid changes in today's world are a source of uncertainty and have political consequences.
"Extremists today, as in the past, are trying to use these uncertainties to spread fear and unrest," he stressed.
"We will not allow this to happen. Our democracy can defend itself," Scholz said.
"Anyone who threatens our democracy, anyone who wants to harm the European Union, threatens jobs and our well-being. They threaten our security," he added.
(SR and FM for Tagtik/Photo: Unsplash)
