Newport, Wales
5 September 2014
Prime Minister Stephen Harper today marked the conclusion of a productive 2014 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit, which took place in Newport and Cardiff (Wales), United Kingdom, from September 4 to 5. The Summit was part of a broader visit to the U.K., which also saw the Prime Minister taking part in a bilateral program and Canadian trade mission in London.
During the Summit, Prime Minister Harper joined leaders from the 28 member countries as well as a number of non-NATO partner countries and international organizations to discuss key issues facing the Alliance and its partners. In considering NATO’s vital role, leaders stressed the importance of the Alliance’s capability, readiness and solidarity to ensure our security and to build stability in an unpredictable world.
Discussions included NATO’s response to Russian military aggression in Ukraine, the Alliance’s ongoing relationship with Afghanistan post-2014, as well as the broader global security environment, including the barbaric actions and expansionist agenda of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which are further destabilizing the region and threatening global peace and security. Outcomes of the Summit were outlined in the Wales Summit Declaration.
The Prime Minister also met with the next Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg. During their meeting, he highlighted Canada’s contributions to the Alliance, notably the leadership role it has played since the onset of the crisis in Ukraine, and its ongoing commitment to ensuring that NATO remains modern, flexible, and ready to face the security challenges of the 21st century. He also underscored Canada’s contribution to the delivery of military supplies to security forces fighting ISIL in Iraq.
