Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government, Brussels, Belgium – 25 May 2017

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Publication Date 25/05/2017
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A meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government was held on the 25 May 2017 in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting was chaired by the NATO Secretary General and attended by leaders of the NATO member states including US President Donald Trump.

NATO reported that the meeting that there was 'a strong demonstration of transatlantic unity and resolve, with Allies taking important decisions to do more in the fight against terrorism and to ensure fairer burden sharing across NATO'.

NATO members agreed to develop annual national plans, setting out how Allies intended to meet the defence investment pledge they made in 2014. The national plans would cover three major areas: cash, capabilities, and contributions.

NATO leaders were joined by Prime Minister Marković of Montenegro. Montenegro was soon to become the twenty-ninth member of the NATO Alliance.

Generally, commentators were not so positive about the meeting, highlighting that Presidernt Trump demanded that allies paid for ‘many years lost', and did not commit explicitly to Article 5 mutual defence. Former US ambassador to Nato, Ivo Daalder, wrote that 'Trump’s first Nato meeting was an opportunity to unite the alliance ... Unfortunately, Nato today is more divided than ever'.

The summit also marked the formal handover of the new NATO Headquarters from the Belgian Ministry of Defence.

Source Link http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/events_143956.htm
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