File Photo: NATO soldiers inspect the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2017. Three Afghan civilians were wounded after a bomb attack hit a NATO military convoy in western side of Kabul, authorities said. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)
WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump and visiting Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday issued a joint statement which highlighted U.S. support for a larger Dutch role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) missions in Afghanistan and Lithuania.
Specifically, the Netherlands plans to increase deployments to extend its participation in NATO's Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan. It will also extend its contribution to NATO's Enhanced Forward Presence Mission in Lithuania through the end of 2020.
On Monday, Trump met with Rutte at the White House on bilateral cooperation as well as issues of regional and global concerns.
The document offered Tuesday by the White House said Trump "welcomes the Netherlands' leadership role on the international stage including as a key member of NATO, and thanks Prime Minister Rutte for Dutch participation in critical NATO operations."
While affirming that the NATO alliance remains the cornerstone of their common security, they recognized "the need to share the burden for their common defense and security."
The statement also said that on Monday the two governments reached a Chapeau Agreement Establishing a Framework for bilateral Defense Cooperation Activities.
"This agreement will greatly facilitate their ability to enhance cooperative defense activities," they said.
The statement said the two countries also agreed to step up cooperation on cyber issues, as "malicious cyber activity and disinformation campaigns pose an increasing threat to national security and prosperity."
Meanwhile, they reaffirmed their commitment to expanding trade and investment. The Netherlands is one of the largest foreign direct investors in the United States, and the United States enjoyed some 24 billion U.S. dollars' worth of trade in goods surplus with the Netherlands in 2017, according to the statement.
Rutte has vowed to increase cooperation in trade and investment so as to support one million jobs in the United States in the coming years, up from the estimated 825,000 in 2018.
According to the statement, the Netherlands will co-host the Ninth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a platform for U.S. entrepreneurs and investors to connect with international counterparts. This is the first time the event will be held in the European Union.
