NATO Parliamentary Assembly: transatlantic bond is and remains the central and fundamental pillar of NATO

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) has adopted the Declaration on Transatlantic Relations. The Declaration on Transatlantic Relations was submitted by the NATO PA Standing Committee. This document will be handed to the NATO Summit in Wales, United Kingdom.

 The Declarations states that transatlantic bond is and remains the central and fundamental pillar of NATO, and the ultimate expression of the transatlantic bond is the steadfast commitment to collective defence under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty: “There can be no doubt about Allies’ determination and ability to exercise their Article 5 obligations. We must continue to take effective and visible measures to demonstrate our resolve and readiness.”

 The attention is drawn to the fact that the transatlantic bond, however strong, should not be taken for granted. It is said that disinvestment in defence “has now reached a point where it threatens our ability to respond adequately to today’s and tomorrow’s threats.” “We must ensure that future decisions about our national and collective defence, while taking into account available resources, are first and foremost policy-driven. Failure to fund adequate defence comes with a high political and security cost. Defence spending cannot be turned on or off at will because of the long lead times needed to recruit, train and exercise personnel, acquire complex and costly defence capabilities, and achieve interoperability of personnel and equipment.”

The document states that the governments and parliaments of NATO countries must develop annual national action plans to inform the public about the requirements of 21st century defence and promote the values and aims of the transatlantic security partnership. Active efforts across all fields of culture, education, media, diplomacy and economy are promoted “to create a renewed transatlantic culture, and dedicate resources to these efforts. As a first step, we should introduce new transatlantic scholarships for future leaders in the fields of foreign policy, defence, economics and science.”

Energy security in NATO countries is also considered in the Declaration on Transatlantic Relations.

 Please find the full document here: Documents.

Jolanta Anskaitienė, Public Relations Unit, Communications Department, Office of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6508, e-mail:[email protected]