NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (Profile photo)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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."

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.