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NATO Summit Vilnius 2023: Day One [1]

['Brian Sostak']

Date: 2023-07-11 16:19:49+00:00

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA – Today is the opening day of the NATO Summit; topics included the Military Integration of Sweden, Regional Defence Plans, Alliance Resilience Objectives, and Strategic Partnerships. The first day of the two-day Summit included the release of the Vilnius Summit Communique, meetings between Heads of State and Government, and Partner Country leadership engagement.

“This Summit is a history Summit because we have already made an agreement that ensures that Sweden will become a full-fledged member of the Alliance. And this is good for Sweden, it is good for Türkiye, it is good for the whole NATO Alliance, and not least, it’s good for the Baltic region, for Lithuania, and for other countries in this region,” shared Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the start of the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius. The first day of the NATO Summit included updates on the status of Sweden becoming the 32nd NATO Member Nation, as Secretary General Stoltenberg, Turkish President Erdogan, and Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson reached an agreement on July 10th, moving forward the accession protocol for Sweden.

NATO also released the Vilnius Summit Communiqué, which is an official statement that covers collective positions and decisions of the participants of the Summit. Within the Communiqué was clear and concise messaging on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “The Russian Federation has violated the norms and principles that contributed to a stable and predictable European security order. The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. We continue to condemn in the strongest terms Russia’s blatant violations of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and OSCE commitments and principles.”

A three-step package agreement on Ukraine was issued, covering a multi-year assistance program, a new NATO-Ukraine Council, and removal of a Membership Action Plan, which would allow Ukraine’s membership pathway to simplify to a one-step process. Sweden Accession, Regional Defence Plans, Alliance-wide Resilience, and Strategic Partners such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan, were also part of the first day’s meetings, while additional topics will be discussed during the second day of the Summit.

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[1] Url: https://www.act.nato.int/article/nato-summit-vilnius-2023-day-one/

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