From 5 to 7 December, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) held its 22nd annual Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum in Washington, DC, co-hosted by the US National Defense University and the Atlantic Council. One hundred and four members of parliament from 29 nations discussed the most pressing transatlantic security priorities and heard from invited US government and expert speakers.
Opening the event, NATO PA President Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam (France) noted that the 2022 Forum comes at the end of a year “which has been marked by Russia's brutal and criminal war against Ukraine - a war that has upended the European security order.”
Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine served as both a primary focus of discussion and a lens through which to understand NATO’s additional challenges. Participants underscored their nations’ commitment to ensuring that Ukraine not only prevails in the war but also “wins the peace” by rebuilding the country based on the democratic principles shared by Allies and Ukraine alike.
President Garriaud-Maylam urged her colleagues to translate high-level decisions on supporting Ukraine, taken by the NATO PA in Madrid in November and by NATO Foreign Ministers in Bucharest a few days prior, into concrete policy. In particular, she called upon Assembly members to advocate that national parliaments “state clearly that the Russian state under the current regime is a terrorist one” and “to take collective action towards the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression committed by Russia”, as laid out in NATO PA Resolution 479.
Throughout the meetings, members and invited interlocutors also discussed how to build on the Strategic Concept’s assertion that China’s “stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values”. President Garriaud-Maylam stressed that “these statements must now be translated into concrete work strands.” At the same time, discussions made clear that Allies will continue to seek to engage with China on common challenges, for example on climate change.
Participants acknowledged the remarkable political unity within the Alliance, especially after Russia’s renewed invasion. However, several participants underlined that this extraordinary cohesion must not be taken for granted. Policymakers underscored the heightened importance of maintaining public support across the Alliance, particularly as the economic effects of Russia’s war deepen and the impact of sanctions levied against Russia take full effect.
Coming a few weeks after the US Congressional midterm elections, the meeting also demonstrated strong political unity among US participants on NATO and support for Ukraine. US interlocutors underlined the reinvigorated, bipartisan commitment to the Alliance and the transatlantic relationship. They not only expressed their commitment to continue providing immediate support to Ukraine, but also acknowledged that helping Ukraine achieve its goals will require significant long-term investment.
Other issues tackled included the rebuilding of Ukraine, NATO’s new deterrence and defence posture, safeguarding democracy and the rules-based international order, Nordic and Arctic security, climate and energy challenges as well as the corruption-security nexus.
This year’s Forum also included the inaugural Ojars Eriks Kalnins Memorial Lecture, dedicated to the late NATO PA Vice-President and Head of the Latvian delegation, which focused on strengthening the transatlantic bond and defending NATO’s shared values and democratic principles.
Defending democracy remains “one the Assembly’s central priorities”, stressed President Garriaud-Maylam, who noted that, at its Madrid session, the Assembly had reiterated its “determination to finally see the establishment, at NATO Headquarters, of a Centre for Democratic Resilience”.
Photos of the event are available on the NATO PA Flickr page.
