Paul Keating brands NATO boss a ‘supreme fool’ for deepening Asia ties

Former prime minister Paul Keating has branded NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg a “supreme fool” for seeking to deepen the alliance’s ties with Asia as Anthony Albanese heads to Europe to cement Australia’s blossoming relationship with the alliance grouping.

The prime minister will meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on Monday before attending the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Former prime minister Paul Keating said expanding NATO’s ties with Asia would be like exporting poison.

Albanese and Scholz will on Monday announce an agreement for Australia to sell 100 Queensland-made Boxer heavy weapons carriers to Germany in a $1 billion deal that is believed to be one of the nation’s biggest defence export contracts.

“This agreement will boost Australia’s sovereign defence industry, secure local jobs and contribute to Australia’s economic growth,” Albanese said.

French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to kibosh a plan by NATO officials to open a liaison office in Japan, insisting the proposal would take the alliance too far away from its North Atlantic geographical boundaries.

“We are not in favour as a matter of principle,” an Elysee Palace official told reporters on Friday. “As far as the office is concerned, the Japanese authorities themselves have told us that they are not extremely attached to it.”

Albanese will attend the annual NATO summit for the second year running as part of the so-called “IP4”: a group of four non-member states in the Indo-Pacific comprising Australia, South Korea, Japan and New Zealand.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Keating said: “President Macron of France is right to warn NATO away from any expansion into Asia, reminding all and sundry of NATO’s Atlantic design and focus.”

Claiming that “the Europeans have been fighting each other for the best part of 300 years”, Keating said: “Exporting that malicious poison to Asia would be akin to Asia welcoming the plague upon itself.

“With all of Asia’s recent development amid its long and latent poverty, that promise would be compromised by having anything to do with the militarism of Europe – and militarism egged on by the United States.”

Macron alarmed some American and European officials earlier this year by saying, following a trip to Beijing, that Europe should not be drawn into a crisis over Taiwan driven by an “American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction”.

“Stoltenberg conducts himself as an American agent more than he performs as a leader and spokesperson for European security.”

Paul Keating

Keating added: “Of all the people on the international stage the supreme fool is Jens Stoltenberg, the current Secretary-General of NATO ... Stoltenberg conducts himself as an American agent more than he performs as a leader and spokesperson for European security.”

Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister who has served as the head of NATO since 2014, last week had his term extended for another year.

He said earlier this year that “what happens in Europe matters to the Indo-Pacific, and what happens here in Asia matters to NATO. Our security is connected.”

Before leaving for Europe, Albanese said: “It’s important that I attend the NATO leaders summit. Australia’s presence at this forum is firmly in our national interest as we work together towards a peaceful and stable world.”

When Keating savaged Australia’s plan to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines earlier this year and said China did not pose a national security threat to Australia, Albanese said: “I disagree with his attitude towards the state of the world in 2023.”

Ukraine’s bid to enter NATO is expected to be at the top of the agenda for the NATO summit, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will ask world leaders to increase their military and humanitarian assistance as his country continues to defend itself against Russia’s invading forces.

Albanese has been considering whether to increase Australia’s contribution to Ukraine after military experts and the federal opposition criticised the government’s most recent package of assistance as not being sufficiently generous.

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