NATO declaration emphasizes common defense

Following the NATO Summit held in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, the declaration included issues such as relations with Russia, the fight against terrorism, and Ukraine’s NATO membership. NATO’s Vilnius Summit Declaration emphasized that combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is essential for common defense. The declaration, which pointed to NATO’s open-door policy, stated that all countries have the right to choose their own security arrangements. The declaration included the following statements: “We look forward to welcoming Sweden as a full member of the alliance. In this context, we welcome the agreement reached by the NATO Secretary General, the President of Turkey, and the Prime Minister of Sweden.” The declaration, which unconditionally rejected terrorism and condemned it in the strongest possible terms, emphasized that combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is essential for common defense. “Ukraine’s future is in NATO” The Vilnius Summit Declaration also reiterated the NATO membership commitment given to Ukraine at the 2008 Bucharest Summit, and included the following statements: “We fully support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements. Ukraine’s future is in NATO.” The NATO declaration underlined the support provided to regional efforts aimed at maintaining security, safety, stability and freedom of navigation in the Black Sea through the Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits. The declaration emphasized that developments in the Black Sea would be monitored and situational awareness would be increased. The declaration, which also included assessments of NATO-Russia relations, announced that communication channels with Moscow would be kept open in order to minimize risk, reduce tension and increase transparency. The declaration included three paragraphs addressing China, including the phrase “We will continue to be open to constructive work with China, including mutual transparency.” China was mentioned in three paragraphs. The statement, which drew attention to the deepening of the strategic partnership between Russia and China, called on China to condemn Russia’s war as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and urged China not to provide arms support to Russia. The statement stated that Finland was welcomed as the alliance’s newest member, that NATO’s open-door policy was confirmed, and that “Every nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements.” “NATO poses no threat to Russia” The statement emphasized that Russia’s illegal annexations, including Crimea, would not be recognized and that Russia would be held accountable for its war crimes, and called on Russia to immediately end the war and withdraw its forces from Ukraine. The statement conveyed that the alliance supported Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace formula, and repeated in many sections of the text that military and political support for Ukraine would continue. The statement reiterated the commitment to Ukraine’s NATO membership made at the Bucharest Summit in 2008, and stated that “Today, we recognize that Ukraine’s path to Euro-Atlantic integration goes beyond the need for a Membership Action Plan.” The statement emphasized the importance of Ukraine’s security for the alliance and allies, and noted: “We agreed on an expanded support package to support Ukraine’s further integration into NATO. We decided to establish a new joint body, the NATO-Ukraine Council, in which the allies and Ukraine will sit as equal members, to advance political dialogue, engagement, cooperation and Ukraine’s goals of NATO membership in the Euro-Atlantic.” The statement also noted that the mechanism would serve as a crisis consultation mechanism between NATO and Ukraine. Condemning Russia’s intention to deploy nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable systems on the territory of Belarus, the statement said: “We condemn Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and coercive nuclear signals.” The statement indicated that predictability was desired in the Euro-Atlantic line and NATO-Russia relations, and said, "NATO does not intend to confront Russia and does not pose a threat to Russia. We do not see Russia as a partner in the face of its aggressive attitudes." The statement also included information that change in NATO-Russia relations will only occur if Russia ends its aggressive behavior and fully complies with the rules of international law. The statement also announced that Russia's threats will be responded to in unity and within the framework of responsibility. It was noted that Russia's actions using other forces or hybrid methods against NATO members and partners have increased, and the statement listed these methods as interference in democratic processes, economic pressure, disinformation, cyber attacks and illegal activities of Russian intelligence. The statement said, "We are developing the tools at our disposal to counter Russia's hybrid actions and will ensure that the alliance and allies are ready to deter and defend against hybrid attacks." “We need to continue reforming in order to maintain our technological superiority” The statement emphasized that the fight against terrorism will continue with determination, perseverance and solidarity, and that within this scope, relations with other countries and rapprochement with other international actors will continue. Pointing out that the allies have increased their defense spending since the summit held in Wales in 2014, the statement emphasized that these are the greatest security concerns since the Cold War. Referring to their commitment to allocate 2 percent of the national income to defense spending, the statement said, “We need to continue to maintain our technological superiority and modernize and reform our forces and capabilities through the integration of innovative technologies.” The statement stated that “We cannot ignore the possibility of an attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our allies,” and noted that NATO’s collective defense has been strengthened against all threats coming from all directions in response to the radically changing security environment. In the statement, which indicated that regional defense plans were also made on top of existing plans, the phrases were used, “NATO will take all necessary steps to ensure the reliability, effectiveness, safety and security of the nuclear deterrent mission.” In this context, the statement indicated that the modernization of nuclear capacity will continue and that updates to plans will continue to increase the flexibility and adaptability of nuclear forces. In the statement, it was emphasized that NATO Ballistic Missile Defense (NATO BMD) is in effect entirely for defense purposes, and that this program is carried out with the voluntary contributions of countries such as Romania, Turkey, Spain, Poland and the USA. In the statement, it was pointed out that the alliance has a goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and “the determination that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons” was reiterated. Call for Iran to end support to Russia It was noted in the statement that Russia’s stance against Ukraine has also made NATO-European Union (EU) cooperation more important, and it was emphasized that NATO and the EU will continue to support Ukraine. The declaration also supported Moldova's territorial integrity and called on Russia to withdraw its forces from Transnistria. The declaration stated that Iran's support for Russia in the Ukraine war also affected Euro-Atlantic security, and NATO called on Iran not to provide military assistance to Russia. The declaration ended with the information that the summit in 2024 would be held in Washington on the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding, and in 2025 in the Netherlands.