NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA) President Michal Szczerba at NATO Headquarters on Monday (19 February 2024) to discuss key issues on the European security agenda along with ways to maintain the strong cooperation between the two organisations.
Together with President Szczerba, the Secretary General chaired the annual meeting of the NPA with Permanent Representatives to the North Atlantic Council as part of the programme of regular engagements between NATO and the NPA. In meetings at committee level, Assembly members are set to discuss topics including defence spending, expanding the transatlantic industrial base, Ukraine's path to NATO membership, regional security issues and energy security.
Mr Stoltenberg highlighted that the NPA provides an essential link between the Alliance and its democratic institutions, helping to foster awareness and understanding of NATO's policies. The Secretary General underlined the importance of parliamentarians' continued support in implementing the decisions taken at the NATO Summit in Vilnius last year, as well as in maintaining substantial aid to Ukraine. Looking ahead to the upcoming Summit in Washington D.C., Mr Stoltenberg stressed the crucial role of parliamentarians in informing and engaging NATO publics.
The Secretary General also met with U.S. Representative Mike Turner, Chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and Head of the U.S. Delegation to the NPA, to discuss the continued importance of NATO to the United States, and the urgent need to approve further aid to Ukraine.
The NPA is an inter-parliamentary organisation that brings together parliamentarians from NATO Allies and partner countries to discuss political, defence and security issues facing the Alliance.
