The decisions made at the Madrid Summit will define international security for the next decade – declared NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in his opening speech at the two-day meeting of NATO heads of state and government in the Spanish capital.
“We are making very important decisions to strengthen NATO in a more dangerous and competitive world, where authoritarian countries like Russia and China openly challenge the rules-based international order,” Stoltenberg stated at the beginning of the first working session.
The allies agreed on NATO’s new Strategic Concept, which reinforces the alliance’s deterrence and defense capabilities, increases the number of troops under arms, and guarantees sufficient resources to address emerging security threats.
One of the most tangible outcomes of the two-day summit was NATO’s formal invitation to Finland and Sweden to join the alliance, following Turkey’s decision to lift its veto and support the two Nordic countries’ accession. In his speech, Stoltenberg emphasized that NATO’s door remains open to other nations as well, and the summit participants also agreed on a comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine.
“We will continue our unprecedented support so that Ukraine can defend itself,” he said, adding that the courage of the Ukrainian people is an inspiration to the entire world. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky participated in the closed-door working session via video link.
“The world is watching us – let us demonstrate our unity and solidarity,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the host of the event. He stressed the importance of reinforcing the alliance and called the upcoming accession of two new countries a historic milestone for NATO.
