Allied unity the key focus at NATO Summit

When the heads of state and government convene in Warsaw, they will be meeting on historic ground. This is the city where the Soviet Union and the former East-bloc countries agreed in 1955 to establish the Warsaw Pact – a military alliance rivalling NATO.

‘Today, Poland is one of our close allies in NATO. The Alliance is stronger than ever, and has succeeded in remaining relevant and adapting to a new security environment. We have managed to deliver on the goals we set at the Summit in Wales two years ago. We are now better prepared to meet new challenges. We have strengthened our collective defence,’ Prime Minister Solberg said.

Increasing NATO’s presence in several of the Alliance’s eastern countries will be a key topic at the summit. Other topics will be the situation in the Middle East and North Africa and NATO’s contributions to stabilising these areas. Separate meetings will be held on Afghanistan, Ukraine and Georgia.

‘Norway advocates strengthening NATO’s maritime capability. Strategic developments in the North Atlantic show that this is crucial. We are pleased that this will be discussed at the summit,’ said Ms Solberg. 

Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende and Minister of Defence Ine Eriksen Søreide are also taking part in the Summit.

Cooperation between NATO and the EU on security and defence policy is steadily increasing, and will be an important topic at this Summit.

‘Closer cooperation between NATO and the EU is important. The EU and NATO have different tools at their disposal, and Europe’s security challenges can only be addressed through cooperation. The UK’s exit from the EU makes it even more crucial that we succeed in this. Europe needs more cooperation, not less,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Børge Brende.

Norway’s contribution to NATO is substantial, both in military terms and through its support for NATO’s capacity-building efforts in fragile states.

‘The proposed long-term plan for the Norwegian armed forces includes strengthening our national capability. This will also be important for NATO and will benefit the Alliance as a whole,’ added Ms Søreide. 

For more information about the Summit, see the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NATO. 

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