Brussels, 16 February 2018 - Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly will gather in Brussels on 19-21 February to meet top NATO and EU officials as the Alliance reviews and prepares its key priorities for the upcoming Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government this July.
Taking place just days after NATO Defence Ministers reported further increases in Allied defence budgets, created two new military commands and decided to start planning for a military training mission in Iraq, the NATO PA’s meeting will open on Monday 19 February with the annual joint meeting between Assembly heads of delegation and Ambassadors to the North Atlantic Council (NAC) under the joint chairmanship of NATO PA President Paolo Alli (Italy) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“In July, Allied Heads of State and Government will take stock of NATO’s ongoing adaptation and set new goals and priorities where needed” declared Mr Alli ahead of the meeting. “Our meeting here in Brussels will provide an opportunity for Allied parliamentarians to start identifying the issues which we would like to put forward at the Summit.”
Mr Alli is due to meet Mr Stoltenberg ahead of the joint meeting of the NATO PA and the NAC.
Over the three days, some 110 legislators from the 29 NATO countries will meet with top NATO and EU officials, including Ambassador Alejandro Alvargonzález, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs, General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), and Deputy Secretary General of the External Action Service Pedro Serrano. Belgium’s Defence Minister, Steven Vandeput, will also be a keynote speaker at the meetings.
Topics will include: NATO’s current operations; NATO’s role in tackling the terrorist challenge; investments in capabilities; improving the Alliance’s operational “agility”; and NATO-EU relations.
These events are not public. There will be no media opportunity.
