NATO News

NATO and Colombia reaffirmed their commitment to mutually beneficial partnership during High Level Staff Talks in Colombia, which ended on Saturday (2 October 2021). The two sides committed to deepening political dialogue and intensifying practical cooperation on good governance, military training, interoperability, demining, and maritime security.

On Thursday 07 October 2021, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg will chair a meeting of the North Atlantic Council with Allied National Security Advisers.

Today (03 October 2021), the Commander of the NATO-led KFOR mission, Major General Franco Federici, visited KFOR units deployed at the Jarinje and Brnjak crossing points in northern Kosovo. For the next two weeks, KFOR will maintain a temporary, robust and agile presence in the area, in support to the implementation of the recent arrangement on de-escalation and the way forward in northern Kosovo reached between Belgrade and Pristina, under the auspices of the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue. KFOR is mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 to ensure a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for all communities living in Kosovo.

On 3-5 October 2021, NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will have a working visit to Washington DC (USA). During the visit, Mr. Stoltenberg will meet with senior U.S. officials and lawmakers.

On Monday, 04 October 2021, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană will travel to Luxembourg. During his visit, he will meet with the Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Defence, Mr. François Bausch, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean Asselborn.

Today (01 October 2021), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues Miroslav Lajčák at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. During his visit, Special Representative Lajčák also exchanged views with the Permanent Representatives of the North Atlantic Council.

On Friday 01 October 2021, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will meet with Ambassador Miroslav Lajčák, EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan regional issues.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg received the Center for European Policy Analysis' (CEPA) 2021 Transatlantic Leadership Award on Wednesday (29 September 2021), given in recognition of his ''tireless dedication to advancing our common values and investing in the next generation of Atlanticists''. In a pre-recorded address, Mr. Stoltenberg thanked CEPA for its work to support transatlantic cooperation and resilience, stressing that the bond between Europe and North America remains ''vital for peace and security''.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Dr Fatih Birol to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (28 September 2021) to discuss topics of mutual interest to both organizations. These included climate change and security, energy security, and the clean energy transition, as well as strengthening cooperation between NATO and the IEA.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met virtually with State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi of the People’s Republic of China on Monday (27 September 2021). The Secretary General and the Foreign Minister discussed NATO-China relations and exchanged views on current international security challenges.

In a virtual address to the “AI and Cyber – An Abundance of Potential” conference on Monday (27 September 2021), Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană stressed that NATO is determined to set the standard for the ethical use of emerging and disruptive technologies.

On Monday, 27 September 2021, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană, will participate remotely in the AI & Cyber Conference titled “An Abundance of Potential”. The conference will be hosted by the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute and the Digital National Alliance of Bulgaria.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participated in the Change of Command at Allied Command Transformation in the United States on Thursday (23 September 2021) . At the ceremony in Norfolk, Virginia, General Philippe Lavigne of the French Air and Space Force took over from General André Lanata as Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, one of NATO’s two strategic commanders.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres during the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Wednesday (22 September 2021). The two leaders discussed NATO and the UN's commitment to maintaining international peace and security, and work to deepen cooperation between the two organisations in areas like peace operations and countering terrorism.

The International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN) held a virtual meeting on 21 September 2021 with the national representatives of the Competent National Audit Bodies (CNABs) to discuss its 2020 Annual Activity Report, as well as audit issues of mutual interest. Representatives from CNABs of 29 of the 30 NATO member states were able to participate in the virtual meeting and provided comments on the 2020 Annual Activity Report.

From 20 to 23 September 2021, 27 Allies and partners and 16 regional and international organisations came together in and around the cities of Ohrid and Struga in North Macedonia, practising their ability to work together and save lives during high-intensity natural disasters.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg joined world leaders at the opening of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday (21 September 2021). This year’s General Assembly marks the sixth that Mr Stoltenberg has attended at the helm of the Alliance.

The Allied Chiefs of Defence have elected Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak of the Polish Armed Forces to be the next Director of the NATO International Military Staff (DGIMS). The DGIMS is nominated by the NATO Chiefs of Defence to head the Alliance's International Military Staff for a term of three years. Lieutenant General Adamczak will take up the position in the summer of 2022 when Lieutenant General Hans-W. Wiermann's tenure ends.

NATO's thirty Chiefs of Defence gathered in Athens, Greece for the fall session of the Military Committee Conference 2021. The agenda for the Conference was challenging but necessary so that the Military Committee, in its highest format, could provide guidance to the Strategic Commanders and advice to the NATO Secretary General and the North Atlantic Council.

Exercise “NORTH MACEDONIA 2021”, co-organised by NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the Crisis Management Centre of North Macedonia, will be conducted from 20 to 23 September 2021 in the area of Ohrid and Struga, North Macedonia.