(C) NATO This story was originally published by NATO and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . NATO Summit Vilnius 2023: Focus Points of the Summit [1] ['Brian Sostak'] Date: 2023-07-07 18:18:34+00:00 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA – On July 11th and 12th, the NATO Summit will occur in Vilnius, Lithuania, with Heads of State and Government meeting on key NATO priorities. Deterrence and Defence, Support for Ukraine, Defence Investment, Strategic Partnerships, Changing Security Challenges, and NATO’s United Strength are all key focus points that will be reflected in decisions from the Summit. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shared a strong message at the pre-Summit press conference: “For 500 days, Moscow has brought death and destruction to the heart of Europe, seeking to destroy Ukraine and divide NATO. Our Summit will send a clear message: NATO stands united, and Russia’s aggression will not pay.” Deterrence and defence, particularly as it pertains to support for Ukraine, is a key topic for the Alliance, as NATO Heads of State and Government prepare to meet in Vilnius next week; Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, will also be attending the Summit. An additional focus is on defence spending; NATO continues to evaluate expenditures amidst the ongoing Russian invasion in Ukraine, and the looming challenges posed by China. At the 2014 NATO Wales Summit, member nations reiterated their commitment to a defence spending target of 2% of their Gross Domestic Product, with at least 20% of their defence budgets allocated to equipment and research. In 2023, NATO saw an 8.3% increase across European Allies and Canada, which is the largest increase in decades, serving as a reaffirmation towards the commitment of security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region. This also comes at a point where new challenges are emerging, like climate and environmental security. Strategic partnerships are core to the foundation of NATO, founded almost 75 years ago. The Alliance is founded on the principle of collective defence, where an attack against one Ally is considered an attack against all. NATO recently welcomed Finland as the 31st Member Nation, with Sweden awaiting final ratification through its Accession Protocol. This summit will include attendance from partners in the Indo-Pacific region; Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and New Zealand all have strong relationships with NATO and its Member Nations, sharing the common goal of working together to strengthen the rules based international order. The 2022 NATO Strategic Concept mentioned the importance of the Indo-Pacific as part of its strategic direction, with increased dialogue and cooperation to ensure shared security. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.act.nato.int/article/focus-points-of-the-summit/ Published and (C) by NATO Content appears here under this condition or license: in acordance with "Requirements for the external use of NATO content.". via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/nato/