NATOs priorities in a turbulent world
If we want to focus on the most important decisions and events of the summit of the heads of NATO which was held in Vilnius Lithuania this July without a doubt four subjects of the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council and the development of cooperation with Kyiv the topic of Sweden joining NATO the deepening of relations with friendly countries or partners and increasing defense investments are prioritized. Part of NATOs defense policy is currently aimed at deterrence in the field of cyber threats which has found a special place both in the final statement and in the specialized summits of this organization.
If we want to focus on the most important decisions and events of the summit of the heads of NATO, which was held in Vilnius, Lithuania, this July, without a doubt, four subjects of the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council and the development of cooperation with Kyiv, the topic of Sweden joining NATO, the deepening of relations with friendly countries or partners and increasing defense investments are prioritized. Part of NATO's defense policy is currently aimed at deterrence in the field of cyber threats, which has found a special place both in the final statement and in the specialized summits of this organization.
The events after the summit of heads in Vilnius can be interpreted in line with the goals set in this session. After the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Council, the first summit of this Council was held under the leadership of the military commanders and headed by Rob Bauer on November 16 in Brussels. The Ukrainian military representative presented a report on the latest war situation at this summit. Then, in the two-day summit of foreign ministers (November 28-29, 2023) in Brussels, the council session was held at the ministerial level, and the future horizon, including the mechanism of Ukraine joining NATO and the organization's aid to this country, was reviewed. The Council issued a three-article statement that focused on the definition of threats and measures taken and necessary for the NATO accession process. NATO insists that Kyiv change its military structure, which is in accordance with Soviet standards, to NATO standards during a period of transition. In addition, internal and structural reforms are also important for NATO, which will be carried out by Ukraine over time.
Sweden's accession to NATO, which is one of the main priorities and projects of the organization, is currently subject to the approval of the parliaments of Turkey and Hungary and to be finalized by the consensus of the members. In order to fulfill Turkey's expectations, Sweden has reformed its constitution, increased its anti-terrorist cooperation, and removed the obstacles to the export of weapons to this country. The procrastination of the Turkish parliament and government in agreeing to Sweden's membership has recently caused dissatisfaction and criticism of the United States and the heads of Western countries. The pressure from the West, especially the United States and French authorities, showed itself during the recent summit of the NATO foreign ministers, and Turkey was accused of being slow in the process of Sweden's membership (parliament approval) and was severely criticized, so with these developments, it seems Sweden's membership in NATO will be finalized in the not too distant future.
In the topic related to exploiting the capacity of friendly and non-member countries and interacting with them, four cooperation structures have been defined, including the Euro-Atlantic Council, Mediterranean Cooperation, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, and Partners around the world.
In addition to the mechanisms mentioned above, NATO has also started bilateral movements for closer and more tangible cooperation with aligned countries in all parts of the world. The visit of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Riyadh on December 12 and 13, 2023, is very important in this context. During this trip, Stoltenberg met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia and the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of this country and had a telephone conversation with Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, Minister of Defense and Jassim Muhammad Al-Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council.
It is questionable that the highest NATO official, who always met at the level of heads of countries, will meet and be hosted at the level of the deputy foreign minister in Saudi Arabia. Did Riyadh officials not meet in order to avoid causing sensitivities at higher levels, or was there another reason for planning the visit like this? On the other hand, it is surprising how Stoltenberg agreed to meetings at this level and talked with two other officials only on the phone. Whatever the answer, this event shows the high importance of Saudi Arabia for the West and NATO in the current situation.
In addition, in order to strengthen the cooperation with the partners, numerous meetings and summits have been held in November this year in different areas and levels. The most important of them is Rob Bauer, the head of the NATO Military Committee, along with the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Security Policies participated in the Manama dialogue program of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in Bahrain on 17-19 November 2023. NATO's key message in this program was to find ways to deepen the partnership of southern neighbors, and NATO representatives held bilateral meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, France, and Germany. During this visit, the head of NATO's military committee emphasized participatory security, which supports the two basic goals of the alliance: collective defense and crisis management. According to him, in the unstable security situation, NATO needs to invest more in the form of partnerships around the world.
Sometime before that, on November 8-10, 2023, members of the NATO military committee had a trip to Georgia. During this trip, a visit was made to the NATO-Georgia joint training and evaluation center. Regarding the implementation of defense reforms in Georgia, there was a discussion and exchange of views. Also, the implementation of the strengthened NATO-Georgia package- which was confirmed at the summit of the heads in Madrid and was also mentioned at the Vilnius summit and the new strategic concept- was emphasized. During this trip, Rob Bauer, the head of the NATO military committee, met with the president of the parliament and the defense minister of Georgia. Tbilisi cooperates with NATO in the form of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC).
In relation to collective defense in the field of cyber threats, significant points are mentioned in Clause 66 of the final statement of this year's summit: that a series of malicious cyber activities can reach the level of armed attack, and NATO refers to Article 5 of the Statute (attack on one is equal to attack on all). The importance of cyber defense for NATO has caused this organization to invest significantly in this field and put close cooperation with the two sectors, industry and university, on the agenda. Strengthening deterrence, sharing information, and preparing to deal with cyber-attacks are among NATO's goals and priorities in this area.
Reza Haghighi, an expert at the Institute for Political and International Studies
(The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the IPIS)