Around 250 parliamentarians from the 32 NATO countries and partner countries participated in the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Dayton (Ohio), United States, from May 22 to 26. The Dutch delegation consisted of six members of parliament: Raymond de Roon (PVV), Jesse Klaver (GroenLinks-PvdA, delegation leader), Eric van der Burg (VVD) and Jan Paternotte (D66) from the House of Representatives and Koen Petersen (VVD) and Bart Kroon (BBB) from the Senate.
In Brief
The parliamentary assembly adopted a declaration on the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague, calling for NATOs deterrence and defense to be elevated to the next level and for a defense spending target well above 2% of GDP. The members also expressed their continued support for Ukraine in a declaration, including a call for governments to increase diplomatic, military, financial, and humanitarian support for Ukraine. Prior to and during the session, much attention was paid to the Dayton Accords, or the Dayton Agreement from 1995 between the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia and Montenegro) that ended the Bosnian civil war thirty years ago. Various government representatives from Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs spoke at the plenary session, as did NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Dayton Accords
Peace and security in the Western Balkans and NATOs indispensable role in the region were central. This was also the reason for the location of this meeting, thirty years after the signing of the accords. Congressman Mike Turner, head of the U.S. delegation to NATO PA and host, said: With our NATO partners and leadership in the Balkans, we came together, and the Dayton peace accords were born as a foundation of peace that has endured for 30 years in an still fragile structure. According to Marcos Perestrello, President of NATO PA, the peace accords still form an essential foundation for stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkans today. North Macedonias Foreign Minister Timčo Mucunski spoke about the potential of the Western Balkans: The region must be future-oriented, we need to have a higher level of civic engagement and work on creating civil societies in the Western Balkans.
Strengthening NATO
There has been much discussion about NATOs role and importance in maintaining peace and the three pillars of the treaty; democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. During the opening ceremony on May 23, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine expressed his appreciation for NATOs commitment to guaranteeing the freedom and security of its members with political and military means: By promoting democratic values and enabling members to discuss defense and security issues, NATO is vital to the collective capacity of all our countries to solve problems, build trust, and prevent conflicts.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on attendees to use their parliamentary influence to urge for increased defense spending so that the alliance can better deter and defend against potential aggressors. We must take action now and build our defense. Delay is dangerous. To make NATO stronger, we need to increase defense spending. We need more resources, forces, and capabilities so that we are prepared for any threat, said Rutte. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening and making the European defense industry more productive.
During the question hour with Rutte, Jesse Klaver wanted to know on behalf of the Dutch delegation what advice he had based on his experience as a former Prime Minister for leaders to convince their parliaments to raise NATO spending to at least 2%. Rutte said that when he took office in 2010, it was still possible to rely on the peace dividend, but that the security situation has since changed so much that defense spending really must increase to ensure peace.
Continued Support for Ukraine
Regarding Ukraine, the members expressed unwavering support for Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders and its right to self-defense and self-determination, including its irreversible path to full NATO membership.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha noted that the unprecedented intensity of Russian missile and drone attacks on civilian targets in the past three days shows that Moscow is not interested in peace. He spoke via video link and said: Today we find ourselves in a very difficult but critical geopolitical moment, probably a decisive moment. Despite everything, I believe we now have a real chance to promote peace, but not by waiting for peace. We must act to win peace. Increasing sanctions pressure on Russia along with economic and military support for Ukraine is the right response to Russias mockery of peace initiatives. This is the most effective way to force Russia to agree to a ceasefire and stop prolonging the war. This is exactly what peace through strength means.
Several speakers drew comparisons between the efforts to end the war in Ukraine and the peace process that led to the Dayton Accord in 1995. We strive for sustainable peace in the Balkans. We strive for sustainable peace in Ukraine, said U.S. delegation leader Mike Turner. NATO Secretary General Rutte also emphasized that NATO will continue to support Ukraine to ensure a just peace.
Committee Meetings
In the five committees of the assembly, reports were discussed on topics such as NATOs future Russia strategy, the growing importance of drone warfare, protecting allied societies against Chinese disinformation, and the geopolitical implications of global warming in the Arctic.
In the Economic and Security Committee (ESC), Bart Kroon presented his report Geo-economic Fragmentation: A Challenge for the Transatlantic Partnership. Kroon warned in the report that China and Russia already have significant influence in key sectors and are willing to exploit this position for political purposes. The report calls for strengthening cooperation with partners and the private sector to reduce strategic dependencies in critical areas such as energy, food, and technology. Kroon said: Allied countries must work towards greater mutual openness to generate economic benefits from trade and investment, to strengthen solidarity, to promote interoperability, and to collaborate on technological advancement and shared policy-making. To support geopolitical stability, allies will also need to ensure the flow of food and critical raw materials, especially Europe must better utilize its agricultural capacity to support global food security and thus its own strategic influence, Kroon concluded.
Miscellaneous
The delegation met on May 24 with the Ukrainian and Canadian delegations. The Ukrainians emphasized the importance of direct investments in arms production in Ukraine. They expressed concerns about the cessation of U.S. arms deliveries and the difficulties in gathering evidence of war crimes. With the Canadian delegation, discussions were held about geopolitical developments, possibilities for cooperation in various areas, and the special relationship between the Netherlands and Canada after World War II. There was also a meeting with several members of the Estonian delegation.