Conclusions of the NATO Summit in Brussels

NATO Heads of State and Government have called on Russia to withdraw troops from Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova and engage constructively in settling the conflict in Transnistria.

In the Brussels Summit Declaration, the Allies pledged to support democratic reforms in the Republic of Moldova and efforts to build the defense capabilities of the country. NATO summit ended with the commitment of the Allies to allocate 2% of GDP to defense by 2024, to strengthen the eastern flank and to counter terrorism.

At the NATO summit in Brussels, Romania has strengthened its allied state profile that effectively contributes to securing security in the region, and the results of the summit reconfirmed the fact that Bucharest has achieved its strategic goals. According to President Klaus Iohannis, Romania - in its effort to strengthen its presence on the NATO eastern flank - has gained an operational command center on its territory, as well as an improvement of the status of the multinational brigade, which has now acquired a permanent status.

Klaus Iohannis: When the center will be completed, we think we will have about 400 officers from all NATO countries, who will express desire to join us there. We have achieved an improvement, it’s called an upgrade, of the status of the multinational framework brigade we have set up, which now will have a permanent status. We will continue to negotiate with other allies for a stronger presence within this multinational brigade. Here are two results that we can be proud of.

“We note offers by Romania to develop land command and control capacity at corps-level on its territory to contribute to reinforcement planning in the region”, writes the Brussels Summit Declaration.

According to the President of Romania, another important result was the fact that a whole NATO session, dedicated to the Black Sea, has been organized at the initiative of Romania, with the participation of Georgia and Ukraine. In fact, the Black Sea has benefited from visibility at this summit, including by its repeated mention in the allied documents and decisions, which reconfirms its strategic importance to the Alliance.

“We have also developed tailored Forward Presence in the Black Sea region. In Romania, a multinational framework brigade for training Allies’ land forces is now in place, and work is underway to further develop the brigade’s capacity to contribute to the Alliance’s strengthened deterrence and defense posture. A number of air and maritime measures in the Black Sea region have led to a substantial increase in NATO’s presence and maritime activity in the Black Sea. We welcome progress towards the full implementation of the agreed measures, and particularly in the maritime domain, while noting that further work is required”, states the Brussels Summit Declaration.

Regarding military presence in Afghanistan, President Klaus Iohannis informed allies that Romania will increase the number of personnel to over 950.

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Other conclusions of the NATO Summit, as stated in the Brussels Summit Declaration issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels 11-12 July 2018 (Excerpts)

1. NATO will continue to strive for peace, security, and stability in the whole of the Euro-Atlantic area. (..) Any attack against one Ally will be regarded as an attack against us all, as set out in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. We will continue to stand together and act together, on the basis of solidarity, shared purpose, and fair burden-sharing.

2. We remain open to a periodic, focused, and meaningful dialogue with a Russia willing to engage on the basis of reciprocity in the NRC, with a view to avoiding misunderstanding, miscalculation, and unintended escalation, and to increase transparency and predictability. We will continue to seek to substantiate our dialogue with Russia to address the critical issues that we face. We continue to believe that a partnership between NATO and Russia, based on respect for international law and commitments, including as reflected in the NATO-Russia Founding Act and the Rome Declaration, would be of strategic value. But we cannot and will not compromise on the principles on which our Alliance and security in Europe and North America rest.

3. We are committed to continue the fight against terrorism, which has to be tackled through a coherent, significant, long-term effort by the international community as a whole.

4. We aim to improve military mobility by land, air, or sea as soon as possible.

5. Cyber defense is part of NATO’s core task of collective defense.

6. We announce the establishment of Counter Hybrid Support Teams, which provide tailored, targeted assistance to Allies, upon their request, in preparing for and responding to hybrid activities. We will continue to support our partners as they strengthen their resilience in the face of hybrid challenges.

7. We have established a forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance which is now operational and its full implementation will continue.

8. At the 2010 Lisbon Summit, we agreed to develop a NATO Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability to pursue our core task of collective defense and to provide full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory, and forces against the increasing threat posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. NATO BMD is purely defensive. NATO BMD is based on voluntary national contributions, mainly US European Phased Adaptive Approach assets in Romania, Turkey, Spain, and Poland. NATO BMD is not directed against Russia and will not undermine Russia’s strategic deterrence. NATO BMD is intended to defend against potential threats emanating from outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Should Russia be ready to discuss BMD with NATO, and subject to Alliance agreement, NATO remains open to discussion.

9. We call on all states to enhance efforts to effectively combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) through the universalization and full implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, the NPT, and through the Proliferation Security Initiative, the UNSC resolutions 1540 and 2325, and initiatives on nuclear disarmament verification.

10. We reaffirm our commitment to ensure long-term security and stability in Afghanistan.

11. We remain fully committed to the stability and security of the Western Balkans, as well as to supporting the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of countries in the region.

12. We reaffirm our commitment to the Alliance’s Open Door Policy under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty, which is one of the Alliance’s great successes.

13. The European Union remains a unique and essential partner for NATO.

Source:RRA, NATO. Translated by Miruna Matei