On Thursday 4 and Friday 5 September the UK will host the NATO Summit in Newport, Wales. It will be the largest gathering of international leaders ever to take place in Britain.
It will also be the first UK-hosted NATO Summit since the London meeting in 1990, which marked the end of the Cold War. Things feel rather different day. But this Summit is no less important. Indeed, as many commentators have said, the crisis in Ukraine may make this one of the most important meetings in NATO’s recent history.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will, of course, dominate the Summit. But there will be other critical issues too. The withdrawal of ISAF’s active operation in Afghanistan and the future of NATO and international engagement there will be high on the agenda. The appalling events in Iraq and Syria, and wider instability, will also be on Leaders’ minds.
The UK is clear that NATO must continue to adapt and reform in order to be able to address today’s and tomorrow’s security threats and challenges wherever they may arise. Thus, the overall Summit theme will be ‘Building Stability in an Unpredictable World’. Among the priorities we want to address in Wales are therefore: Defence Spending, Deterrence, Defence Capacity Building, NATO Readiness and Partnerships.
NATO Leaders will want to look at the long-term implications of the Russia-Ukraine crisis and how the Alliance will continue to provide for the collective security of all Allies. NATO must take the necessary decisions to strengthen the Alliance’s ability to respond quickly to threats, including new ones, to reassure those who fear for their security, and to deter aggression against NATO states from wherever it might come. We must also be able to adapt to the variety of threats, and strengthen our ability to stop potential challenges to the Alliance – whether from Russia or non-state actors – from spiralling into crises. What will emerge from the Summit, we are confident, is a clear message that we mean what we say about providing for the collective security of our Allies, with plans to act quickly with rapid reaction forces to provide security where it’s needed.
On Afghanistan, we expect Allies to confirm our continued support to the Afghan government and people. NAWTO has to follow through on commitments made at the Chicago Summit in May 2012 to provide financial support for the sustainment of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). We will recognise the progress made by the ANSF as, on the basis NATO agreed in 2010, they have assumed responsibility for the provision of security across the whole of Afghanistan. And we will take the opportunity to recognise the sacrifices made by our armed forces, those of our Afghan and international partners, and the people of Afghanistan.
In discussing Afghanistan and other challenges, NATO leaders will come together with other international organisations, including the EU, UN and OSCE, demonstrating the strength and complementary nature of its cooperation. NATO is at the centre of a broad, global network of co-operating security actors and closer cooperation with those Partners will be a central Summit theme.
Last but not least, we also seek to emphasise the partnerships with individual countries, building on the friendship, trust and practical habits of co-operation developed through working together in Afghanistan, Libya and the Balkans over the past two decades. Sweden has been one of NATO’s closest and most effective partners in those operations and more generally, and the Summit will underline the continuing value that NATO attaches to partnerships with key players like Sweden.