| U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to the public at the White House in Washington on the 16th (local time) on the collapse of the government in Afghanistan, saying he does not regret the decision to withdraw U.S. troops and that he will not repeat the mistakes of the past of staying and fighting where there is no national interest. © AFP=News1 © AFP=News1 © News1 Reporter Lee Dong-won |
U.S. President Joe Biden said on the 19th (local time) that “we will respond if our allies such as South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Europe are invaded.”
It is interpreted that the withdrawal of Afghanistan forces dismissed allies’ doubts about the United States and drew a line that Afghanistan and the defense promise to the alliance are not comparable.
In an interview with ABC News on the same day, President Biden said, “There is a fundamental difference between South Korea, Taiwan and NATO.”
“We are not based on civil wars in Korea or Taiwan, but on promises,” he said.
The remarks came amid growing suspicions among allies about the US defense agreement following the withdrawal of Afghanistan forces.
The interviewer laughed, “Don’t you know that China said to Taiwan, ‘You see? You shouldn’t trust Americans’.”
“We have kept all our promises,” Biden said. .
Article 5 of the Treaty means ‘Article 5 of the NATO Charter,’ and contains the content that a military attack on a country is regarded as an aggression against all member countries and responds as an individual member or group.
Korea also stipulates this in Article 3 of the Korea-US Mutual Defense Treaty.
“The same is true for South Korea, Japan and Taiwan,” Biden said.
President Biden announced in April this year that he would end the war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history. Then, the 31st of this month was set as the completion point for the withdrawal of US troops.
However, with the withdrawal of US, NATO and British troops about 90% progressing, the Taliban accelerated their advance earlier this month, and President Biden has reiterated his intention to force the withdrawal despite the fall of the northern strongholds one after another.
In the end, the Taliban took control of the capital, Kabul, on the 15th, and as the Afghan government, which lost US military support, collapsed helplessly 11 days after the Taliban attack, the international community is raising doubts about the US’ trust in the defense of its allies.
sabi@news1.kr
