NATO chief says Brazil, other Latin American countries could become 'partners'

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is greeted after his address to a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NATO can look at the possibility of other Latin American states joining Colombia in becoming alliance partners, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, while appearing to rule out U.S. President Donald Trump's suggestion that Brazil could one day become a full member of the North Atlantic security body.

"Until 2017, NATO didn’t have any partners in Latin America and then in 2017 we got our first partner, which was Colombia, and to be a close partner of NATO is something that is good for NATO and the partner country," the NATO leader told Reuters in an interview ahead of a NATO ministerial meeting in Washington.