Europe Needs Stronger Role In NATO As Defence, Trade 'Weaponised' -- British Premier

YEREVAN (Armenia), May 4 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Monday called for a stronger European role within NATO, warning that longstanding dependencies and assumptions about global security are no longer viable, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

“There needs to be a stronger European element in NATO. I have no doubt about that. So across defence and security and trade and energy, all of which have been weaponised, we need a much stronger Europe coming together around these issues,” he told the European Political Community summit in Armenia's capital, Yerevan.

He added that Europe has been “behind the curve for too long” on defence and security, citing over-reliance on external partners and outdated assumptions about stability.

“It has to be Europe now that leads the way,” he continued. “We now need to lead out of this and we need to do it at pace.”

European leaders on Monday are gathering for the eighth meeting of the European Political Community summit to discuss closer cooperation on democracy, energy security, and economic ties.

This year’s summit, with the theme Building the Future: Unity and Stability in Europe, will be co-chaired by European Council President Antonio Costa and Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister.

The first EU-Armenia summit is set to take place on Tuesday, with the aim of strengthening bilateral relations. Last year, the Armenian government announced its intention to pursue EU membership, marking a shift away from Moscow’s influence.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU