NATO News

On 30 January 2023, the NATO Military Committee discussed the military cooperation between NATO and Georgia. The aim of the meeting was to discuss the current security situation in and around Georgia, its security sector development, its contributions to NATO-led missions and operations, and the maritime security in the Black Sea context.

In a speech at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan, on Wednesday (1 February 2023), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that NATO and Japan ''may be oceans apart, but our security is closely connected''.

On the 25th Jan 2023, NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) hosted a NATO Medical table top exercise, on behalf of the Chair of the NATO Committee of Chiefs of Military Medical Services (COMEDS) and UK Surgeon General, Major General Tim Hodgetts, bringing together representatives from the Defence Medical Services of ten Nations and the UK.

On Tuesday (31 January), NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia Bujar Osmani in his capacity as 2023 Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Together they discussed NATO-OSCE partnership, the situation in the Western Balkans, as well as the war in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on Tuesday (31 January 2023) for talks on shared security challenges and NATO’s deepening partnership with Japan. “No NATO partner is closer or more capable than Japan,” said the Secretary General.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrapped up a two-day visit to the Republic of Korea on Monday (30 January 2023) with talks with President Yoon Suk Yeol. The two leaders discussed common security challenges and how to strengthen the Alliance’s partnership with Seoul.

Three training campuses - in Greece, Hungary and North Macedonia - have been added to the NATO Flight Training Europe (NFTE) High Visibility Project. The 120 Flying Training Wing in Kalamata, the Kecskemét Air Base and the Pilot Training Centre near Skopje have joined facilities in Czechia and Italy on the list of official training campuses for Allied military pilots.

On Tuesday, 31 January 2023, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană, will meet with Minister of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia and Chairperson-in-Office of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Mr. Bujar Osmani, at NATO Headquarters.

Speaking on Monday (30 January 2023) at the CHEY Institute for Advanced Studies in Seoul, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasised that ''what happens in Europe matters to the Indo-Pacific, and what happens in Asia matters to NATO. Our security is connected''.

NATO hosted its biennial conference of Allied Contact Point Embassies in partner countries on 26 and 27 January 2023. The event brought together 38 delegations representing NATO in 33 partner nations. The newly-appointed representatives attended briefings and panel discussions with NATO leadership focusing on NATO partnerships, NATO operations, NATO’s Communications Strategy and public diplomacy.

NATO marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day with a solemn ceremony at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on Friday (27 January 2023). Addressing the event, Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană called this year’s act of remembrance “particularly poignant for all of us here in Europe”, coming almost a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

On 25 January 2023, NATO launched an initiative named ''Futures in the Indo-Pacific''. This endeavour has been developed through the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, and will consist of a series of discussions amongst experts from Belgium, Australia, France and Japan, for the next two years. Their exchanges will examine relevant developments in the Indo-Pacific and their potential implications for security in the Euro-Atlantic area, hence contributing to furthering NATO’s cooperation with its partners in the Indo-Pacific.

On Thursday (26 January 2023) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Israeli President Isaac Herzog to NATO Headquarters. For the first time, a President of Israel addressed NATO Allies in the North Atlantic Council, demonstrating the deepening partnership between the Alliance and the State of Israel.

As announced last December by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Norway has offered to host the next informal meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The meeting will take place in Oslo on 31 May-01 June 2023.

On Wednesday, 25 January 2023, the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Mircea Geoană, will meet with the Minister of Defence of Sweden, Mr. Pål Jonson, at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

On 24 January 2023, NATO HQ hosted the NATO Charity Bazaar’s donation ceremony. Through a variety of activities, the 2022 edition of the NATO Charity Bazaar raised almost €188,000. Participants in attendance included the Chair of the NATO Military, Admiral Rob Bauer and the Director General of the NATO International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Janusz Adamczak, representatives from participating Nations, board members as well selected Belgian and International charities, who will be receiving donations to support their projects.

On the 17th January 2023, the NATO International Military Staff Office of the Gender Advisor (GENAD) hosted its eighth Deep Dive Session, this time focused on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) and the Gender Perspective. The session highlighted NATO’s role in addressing CAAC while integrating a Gender Perspective, along with the military challenges to consider when addressing violations against girls and boys in a conflict setting.

On Thursday 26 January 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the President of Israel, Mr Isaac Herzog, at NATO HQ. The President will also participate in a meeting of the North Atlantic Council.

In a visit to Berlin on Tuesday (24 January 2023) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg thanked Defence Minister Boris Pistorius for Germany’s significant contributions to NATO and strong support to Ukraine.