NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NPA) President Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam at NATO Headquarters on Monday (20 February 2023) to discuss the work of the NPA and ways to continue the successful cooperation between the two organizations, according to a press release issued by NATO.

The Secretary General underlined that the NPA provides a vital link between the Alliance and parliamentarians, helping to build awareness and understanding of NATO policies. He noted that the role of parliamentarians in informing and engaging NATO publics is crucial in the run-up to the Vilnius Summit. 

The Secretary General recalled the key decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid in June, and welcomed parliamentarians’ continued support to help implement these decisions, including by keeping defence spending up. He noted that the Vilnius Summit will be an opportunity for NATO leaders to agree further steps to strengthen our deterrence and defence and to reaffirm the importance of significant increases in defence spending, as well as to continue our support for Ukraine. 

The NPA is an inter-parliamentary organisation, bringing together parliamentarians from NATO Allies and associate countries to consider major security and policy issues facing the Alliance.