Even though the Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in Washington for three days, President Obama is yet to meet the head of NATO, and won’t meet him during his visit either.
In expressing surprise over the President breaking a long tradition, Kurt Volker, US permanent representative to the NATO, said, “The Bush administration held a firm line that if the NATO secretary general came to town, he would be seen by the president … so as not to diminish his stature or authority. It is hard for me to believe that the president of the United States has not found the time to meet with the current secretary general of NATO given the magnitude of what this implies, and the responsibilities of his office.”
What makes this move even more remarkable is that the Presidents of all other members of the NATO have made time for the Secretary General ever since he took charge of the largest military alliance in October 2014.
Given that European security is at its most vulnerable since the Cold War, and thanks to Russia, America’s commitment to defend its allies is probably paramount and this move doesn’t give Volker that impression.
What makes this denial to meet the Secretary General more bizarre is that Obama does not have a packed schedule apart from meeting Afghan President Ghani and a visit to Alabama to talk about the economy.
Stoltenberg is in town for the NATO Transformation Seminar that was held in Paris the last time around and which focuses on how NATO can update its strategy given the current threats.