NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (Profile photo)

资料图：北约秘书长斯托尔滕贝格

The NATO summit will be held in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, from July 11 to 12. However, protests and criticisms have been continuously voiced even before the summit.

当地时间7月11日至12日，北约峰会将在立陶宛首都维尔纽斯举行。然而，峰会还未开幕，抗议和批评之声不断传出。

NATO is organizing the summit with great fanfare and has turned Vilnius into a "fortress of weapons." This self-proclaimed "defensive" transatlantic military alliance uses the opportunity to flex its muscles against Russia and tries to extend its tentacles into the Asia-Pacific region. Such behavior will only exacerbate regional tensions and disrupt the international security order.

北约大张旗鼓办峰会，把维尔纽斯变成了一座“武器堡垒”。这个自称“防御性”的跨大西洋军事联盟，不仅借机向俄罗斯“秀肌肉”，还试图把触角伸向亚太，其行为只会加剧地区紧张局势，扰乱国际安全秩序。

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg recently revealed that the purpose of this summit is to strengthen NATO's "deterrence and defense," reach an agreement on a new defense investment commitment and deepen partnerships with some countries in the "Indo-Pacific region." In addition to leaders from NATO countries such as US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is also expected to attend the summit to push for Ukraine's quick accession to NATO. Furthermore, leaders from Japan, ROK, Australia, and New Zealand will also attend the summit.

北约秘书长斯托尔滕贝格日前透露，此次北约峰会旨在加强联盟的“威慑和防御”，就一项新的国防投资承诺达成协议，并深化同部分“印太地区”国家的伙伴关系。除美国总统拜登、德国总理朔尔茨等北约国家领导人之外，乌克兰总统泽连斯基预计也将参会，以推动乌克兰尽快加入北约。此外，与会者还包括日本、韩国、澳大利亚和新西兰四国领导人。

It is worth noting that the host city of this summit, Vilnius, is only 151 kilometers away from the Russian border and only 32 kilometers away from the border between Lithuania and Belarus. Reuters reported that NATO has been turning Vilnius into a "fortress of weapons" by enhancing security measures so as to flex its muscles against Russia. A total of 16 NATO member countries have deployed approximately 1,000 soldiers to Lithuania to strengthen security, and some of them even provided advanced weapon systems.

值得注意的是，此次峰会的举办地——维尔纽斯，距俄罗斯边境仅151公里，距立陶宛与白俄罗斯边境，则只有32公里。路透社称，北约正在通过加强安保措施，把维尔纽斯变成一座“武器堡垒”，借机向俄罗斯“秀肌肉”。为加强峰会安保，16个北约成员国向立陶宛派出约1000名士兵，部分国家还提供了先进武器系统。

However, the summit has already sparked public dissatisfaction and continuous protests from various international organizations. Kerstin Bergeå, president of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association, expressed his concerns, saying "NATO is intensifying tensions and polarization in an already highly militarized world."

然而，北约大张旗鼓办峰会，却引得多个国际组织和民众不满，示威抗议接连不断。瑞典和平与仲裁协会主席贝尔贾担忧称，“在一个已经高度军事化的世界中，北约加剧了紧张局势和两极分化。”

Hartstrom from the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) criticized NATO , pointing out that the military alliance would not bring peace and rearmament could only create conditions for war."

来自国际妇女和平与自由联盟的哈茨特罗姆则批评道，“军事联盟不会带来和平。重整军备只会为战争创造条件。”

"French President Emmanuel Macron warned NATO not to expand into Asia and that is correct," emphasized former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating on July 9. He warned that NATO's focus should be the Atlantic. He cautioned that NATO's attempts to deepen ties with Asia could spread the "vicious poison" of "European infighting" to Asia.

“法国总统马克龙警告北约不要向亚洲扩张，这是正确的。”澳大利亚前总理基廷7月9日强调，北约的关注点应该是大西洋。他警告称，北约试图加深与亚洲的联系，可能会把“欧洲人相互争斗”的“恶意毒药”传到亚洲。

At the same time, leaders from Japan, ROK, Australia, and New Zealand will participate in the NATO summit for the second consecutive year. Media outlets such as Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao pointed out that the summit is expected to discuss the establishment of a NATO liaison office in Japan, announce the "establishment of a new partnership" between NATO and Japan, and may also issue a joint statement between NATO and the four countries to confirm NATO's involvement in more Asia-Pacific affairs.

与此同时，日本、韩国、澳大利亚和新西兰四国领导人即将连续第二年参加北约峰会。新加坡《联合早报》等媒体指出，此次峰会预计将讨论在日本设立北约联络处，宣布北约和日本之间“建立新的伙伴关系”，可能还将发表一份北约同上述四国的联合声明，确认北约将参与更多亚太事务。

NATO's continuous extension to the Asia-Pacific region has raised high levels of vigilance and strong discontent among the people of many countries. Recently, many Japanese citizens and members of the National Diet gathered in front of the Japanese Diet building to protest and criticized that the idea of establishing a NATO liaison office in Japan is a very serious issue that will only lead Japan down the path of war.

北约不断试探，一步步将触角伸向亚太，多国民众高度警惕、强烈不满。近日，不少日本民众和国会议员在日本议员会馆前集会示威，并抗议称“打算在日本设立北约联络处是非常严重的问题”，“这只会让日本走上与战争相伴的不归路。”

ROK citizens also gathered near the presidential office in protest. Protesters said that the NATO alliance will cause military tensions, and President Yoon Suk-yeol's attendance at the summit is gambling with the lives and survival rights of the ROK people.

韩国民众也在韩国总统府附近集会抗议。抗议者表示，“北约同盟会引发军事紧张，(韩国总统)尹锡悦出席峰会，是在以韩国民众的生命和生存权为赌注。”

The US and the EU thought that the entire world would stand on the side of the "West", but the reality is different. The non-Western world does not accept US hegemony and neither should Europe. NATO's eastward expansion is a misguided tool.

美国和欧盟以为全世界都会站在“西方”那边，但现实并非如此，非西方世界不接受美国霸权。欧洲也应该拒绝美国霸权。北约东扩是错误的工具。

Protesters hold banners during an anti-NATO demonstration before the NATO summit in Madrid, Spain on June 26, 2022. (Profile photo)

资料图：2022年6月26日，在西班牙首都马德里召开的北约峰会举办前夕，抗议者高举横幅，进行反北约示威游行。

Editor's note: Originally published on chinanews.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.