In recent days, the capital of Spain, Madrid, hosted the summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This summit will set the direction of this organisation in the short and medium term.
In recent days, the capital of Spain, Madrid hosted the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO by its acronym) summit. This event has been crucial for the future of NATO and its main geopolitical challenges for the next 10 years, in the midst of Russia's bloody invasion against Ukraine.
An issue that has been the subject of discussion in different media and analysis media, has been a possible veto by Turkey to the candidacies of Sweden and Finland. After this initial opposition from Ankara and arduous negotiations, Turkey, Sweden and Finland signed a memorandum of understanding before the summit. This gesture will expedite the accession of Helsinki and Stockholm to NATO. However, ratification by each member state could take months.
Ukraine has been one of the main topics on the table. NATO allies pledged to increase NATO's direct support to Ukraine in the short and long term, through Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and reforms.
During the summit, a new NATO strategic concept was sealed. This document is NATO's roadmap for the short and medium term, identifying the main threats and challenges. On the one hand, this new NATO 2022 strategic concept maintains the same three fundamental tasks as its 2010 predecessor: deterrence and defense, crisis prevention & management and cooperative security. Under the new 2022 strategic concept, member states commit to "significantly strengthen our deterrence and defence posture to deny any potential adversary any possible opportunity for aggression." To deter and defend against political aggression or "hybrid tactics." Cyber and hybrid threats, which "could lead the North Atlantic Council to invoke Article 5."
Nine NATO member countries reached the 2% defense investment target agreed at the 2014 Wales summit, and 19 others, including Spain, have set "clear plans" to reach that figure by 2024.
For the first time, Russia is described as a "direct threat" to the Alliance and the Eastern Flank will play a vital role for NATO. To meet this challenge, current multinational battle groups will be expanded to brigade-sized formations and include a Brigade Combat Team in Romania, further rotational deployments in the Baltics and the permanent establishment of the 5th Corps headquarters in Poland.
At Spain's request, NATO's new strategic concept refers to the risks on the southern flank (Sahel region). The new Strategic Concept with the lines of action for the next ten years considers the Sahel as a "fertile" territory for "the proliferation of armed groups, including terrorist organizations", but which also gives rise to "destabilising interference" by "strategic competitors" such as Russia or China.
In addition, the protection under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla have been present. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO protects all its allies against threats, but recalled that the activation of the collective defense clause is not automatic and requires a "political decision".
Another significant detail has been the importance of Asia-Pacific for NATO. For the first time, China is included as a geostrategic rival. While the allies remain "open to constructive engagement", they are also prepared to enhance "resilience and preparedness" to meet the "systemic challenges" posed by Beijing. At the same time, NATO will strengthen its "dialogue and cooperation" with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, whose leaders participated in the summit for the first time.
Last and not least, on the sidelines of the summit, this past Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of South Korea and Japan met. This was the first trilateral meeting since 2017. Both South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida expressed their hopes for improved bilateral relations between their two countries.
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