LONDON — Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg hailed the United Kingdom as a key ally during his talks with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday. NATO chief’s talks with the UK premier focused on preparations for the NATO Summit on 14 June, the Western military alliance said in a press statement.“The United Kingdom is a staunch and highly valued NATO ally,” Stoltenberg was quoted as saying in the statement. The NATO chief also thanked the UK for showing leadership on defense investment. Meanwhile, Johnson stressed the UK’s commitment to NATO as demonstrated through its record investment in defense spending and its commitment of cutting edge technology, including the Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier, to the alliance, the UK government said in a statement. According to the UK government’ statement, Johnson and Stoltenberg discussed a number of issues affecting NATO, including the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. They agreed on the need to ensure Afghanistan has a long-term peaceful and democratic future. They also condemned the recent actions taken by Belarus to arrest Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega. They agreed the Belarusian regime must release political prisoners and provide a full explanation for what happened. The UK premier emphasized his support for the Secretary general’s vision for NATO’s future. The leaders agreed that NATO is essential to transatlantic security and has an important role to play in tackling wider geopolitical challenges like climate change, the statement added.