North Atlantic Council meets members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly

Together with NPA President Marcos Perestrello, Mr. Rutte chaired the annual NPA meeting with Permanent Representatives of the North Atlantic Council. They discussed a range of security challenges facing the Alliance, from Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine to the sabotage, cyber-attacks, and other destabilizing activities that seek to disrupt societies across the Alliance. 

In the face of these and other challenges, the Secretary General called on Members of Parliament to champion increased defence spending and defence production. He also urged them to continue to advocate for robust support for Ukraine, to ensure that Ukraine is in a position of strength to secure a lasting peace. Mr Rutte praised the long-standing cooperation between the NATO and the NPA, highlighting the value of this regular engagement. This link not only fosters better understanding of NATO policies and activities among members of the NPA but also provides opportunities for Ambassadors and other NATO officials to hear directly from the representatives of the citizens the Alliance serves.

The NPA is an inter-parliamentary organisation that is institutionally separate from NATO. It brings together parliamentarians from NATO Allies and partner countries to discuss political, defence and security issues facing the Alliance. The meeting was attended by the NPA’s Standing Committee, which governs the NPA and is composed of the head of each member delegation, the President of the NPA, the Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer and the NPA Secretary General.