Annual Session of NATO Parliamentary Assembly takes place in Copenhagen
10 October 2023
A cross-party delegation of 13 MPs and Peers participated in the Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, from 6-9 October in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP leads the Delegation and Chairs the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee whilst the Rt Hon Kevan Jones MP is the Deputy Leader and a Vice-President of the Assembly.
The first three days of the session focussed on committee meetings where the Assembly’s five Committee discussed their 2023 reports and resolutions, and heard from a range of top officials and experts on these and other critical topics, including:
- defending the Alliance’s shared democratic values and the international rules-based order;
- accelerating the adaptation of NATO’s deterrence and defence posture, including in the Baltic and Black Sea regions;
- strengthening resilience, combatting disinformation and securing critical infrastructure and supplies;
- NATO’s partnerships and the future of the Open Door policy;
- China’s global role and challenge, including its deepening partnership with Russia;
- the implications of Russia’s war for Allied capabilities, the need to strengthen the industrial base and developments in emerging and disruptive technologies;
- further reinforcing the unique transatlantic bond; and
- further ways to mainstream a gender perspective into defence and security.
The final day was a plenary for all delegates. The plenary debate was opened by an address from the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, who spoke alongside senior representatives of the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark and of NATO and other high-level guest speakers.
Ahead of the session, the Delegation received a briefing from the Rt Hon James Heappey MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence, and also met with His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.
At the session in Copenhagen, the leader of the UK delegation, the Rt Hon Alec Shelbrooke MP, commented:
“Over the weekend we have amended and ratified several reports of the Assembly, which focus on the important issues which face the NATO Alliance today.
“These reports will form part of the NATO Summit taking place in Washington DC next year and in 2024 we will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of one of the world’s most successful alliances.
“We will continue to work to bring security to the Euro-Atlantic region and support Ukrainians in their bid to be sovereign, secure and democratic.”