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Unwavering support for Ukraine, implementation of NATO Summit decisions top agenda of 68th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly

17 November 2022

Following NATO’s transformative June 2022 Summit held in Madrid, the Cortes Generales will also host the Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Spain’s capital from 18 to 21 November 2022, gathering 288 parliamentarians from the 30-nation NATO Alliance and 21 partner countries and parliamentary bodies. 

“Almost nine months into an unprovoked, vicious and criminal war started by Vladimir Putin, we face a moment of truth for Euro-Atlantic security and the future of liberal democratic values,” NATO PA President Gerald E. Connolly (United States) stresses in his welcome video. This weekend, the Assembly “will come together to meet this moment.” 

“We will reaffirm our determination to stand firmly by Ukraine’s side for as long as it takes to prevail and to hold Russia to account for its horrific crimes,” President Connolly makes clear.  

Throughout the Session, the Assembly will demonstrate its resolute stance on Russia’s unjustified and brutal war and its unwavering support for Ukraine. Members will engage with their colleagues from the Verkhovna Rada, including in an extraordinary meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council on Friday 18 November.  

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will connect with the Plenary Sitting remotely on Monday 21 November, joining NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and senior representatives from the Spanish authorities in addressing the Assembly’s membership. 

Assembly members will furthermore hear from Olha Stefanishyna, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, who will be honoured with the second annual “Women for Peace and Security” Award, as well as Andriy Kostin, the country’s Prosecutor General. 

“Over the Session’s four days, we will also discuss how to implement and operationalize the historic decisions which NATO leaders took in this very same city of Madrid in June,” notes President Connolly.  

“NATO followed our Assembly’s lead and, in its new Strategic Concept, placed shared democratic values at the centre of NATO’s response to today’s threats,” points out President Connolly. “NATO must now operationalize this commitment to shared democratic values by establishing a Centre for Democratic Resilience within its Headquarters.” The Assembly’s proposal to establish this Centre has received the support of 29 of the 30 Allied governments. The NATO PA is expected to reiterate its recommendation in several resolutions due to be adopted in Madrid.  

NATO’s strengthening of its deterrence and defence posture will also be at the centre of parliamentarians’ discussions. “Our parliaments will play their part in providing the troops and capabilities to deter and defend every inch of NATO territory,” underlines the President.  

Members will also take up progress on ratifying the NATO accession of Finland and Sweden, who “share our democratic values and will make our Alliance stronger,” as President Connolly points out. 

At the Annual Session, the Assembly’s five Committees will discuss sixteen draft reports and six draft resolutions distilling key policy recommendations on topics including: 

  • support for Ukraine 
  • implementation of the NATO Summit decisions 
  • NATO’s enhanced deterrence and defence  
  • the economic response to and impact of Russia’s war 
  • cyber security and defence  
  • the security impact of climate change 
  • the nexus between corruption and (in)security 

During the plenary sitting on Monday, the Assembly will elect its new leadership as President Connolly’s term comes to an end, along with that of several of the Vice-Presidents.  

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is a unique forum for members of parliament from across the Atlantic Alliance to discuss and influence decisions on Alliance security. While independent from NATO, the Assembly serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments as well as citizens of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies and fosters better understanding of the Alliance’s objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance. 

President Gerald E. Connolly Welcome Message

Press queries: [email protected]

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