News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Former Secretary General NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday that democratic government must join together to counter advancing autocracies.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former prime minister of Denmark, who served as secretary general of NATO from 2009 to 2014, made these remarks at a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during his visit to Taiwan.
Democracies VS Autocracies
He further said that the world’s democracies represent about 60 percent of the global economy, and if they could work together, can form a formidable force to place a situation for Beijing and other capitals of autocratic nations in the world.
He added that Taiwan lived under constant pressure by Chinese government, claiming the self-ruled democracy as part of its territory to be retaken some time, by force if needed adding that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also further deepened fears that Beijing might try something similar in future.
In his remarks to Tsai, the former NATO Chief said that Taiwan had the right to exist in freedom and peace and the right to decide its own future.
Last year the region saw a spike in tensions as Beijing ramped up military pressure and initiated its largest war games to record protest against a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in August 2022.
China opposes any official connections between other countries and Taiwan and has reacted with increasing fury over repeated visits by Western politicians.
Meanwhile, Rasmussen’s foundation, which invited President Tsai to address its annual democracy summit for three consecutive years since 2020, was sanctioned by China in 2021.
In a New Year speech on Sunday, Taiwanese President Tsai said ramped-up Chinese military activities around Taiwan were unfriendly for maintaining relations between the two sides.
She added that war has never been the option to solve problems and the only solution possessed in dialogue, cooperation and the common goal of promoting regional stability, peace and development making people feel safe and happy.
