(VOVworld) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is not just of value for Europe but also for the United States. She said at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Berlin that German and Canada are aware of the mutual value of NATO. Merkel said the strength of the US has also grown because of NATO, adding that skepticism of NATO should be debated in the spirit of shared interest.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Angela Merkel (Photo: AP)

German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen said Washington should not hurt EU unity. At the Munich Security Conference on Friday, she said that a stable European Union is also in America’s interest. At the conference, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said the bond between Europe and America is the strongest bulwark against instability and violence.