On the final fourth day of the 63rd Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly of 9 October 2017, the Plenary Session was held, during which the participants were addressed by the following: President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Mr Paolo Alli, President of Romania Mr Klaus Iohannis, President of the Senate of Romania Mr Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu, President of the Chamber of Deputies of Romania Mr Nicolae-Liviu Dragnea and NATO Secretary General and Chair of the North Atlantic Council Mr Jens Stoltenberg. This was followed by questions of participants.
In his introductory speech, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Mr Paolo Alli congratulated Montenegro on its full membership of NATO, welcomed it in the alliance of Euro-Atlantic states, and invited the participants to support by applause this success of both - Montenegro and the Alliance. He stressed that Montenegro's joining to the North Atlantic Alliance was a result of its devoted and committed work in the past period, as well as the contribution it has made to international peace, and expressed strong conviction that this would continue in the upcoming period.
At beginning of his speech, NATO Secretary General and Chair of the North Atlantic Council Mr Jens Stoltenberg thanked the Romanian Parliament for organising the 63rd Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and for the activities by which the host country, as a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, contributed to the preservation of international peace. In the context of the current meeting, he stressed the importance of acting and strengthening the role of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, especially given that strengthening of ties between parliamentarians and citizens contributed to better presentation of NATO's work and results. On this occasion, Stoltenberg reminded participants of the plenary session that the North Atlantic Alliance was a global guardian of security, ready to respond to contemporary security challenges and stressed that this politico-military alliance was fully committed to keeping its promises and meeting its goals.
During the discussions on the Western Balkans, the past activities of NATO in this area, and the open door policy, Mr Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that the impressive results that Montenegro had achieved over the last years in meeting the standards and showing full commitment to the Alliance's common goals were its best recommendation for full membership in NATO.
During his speech, the NATO Secretary General paid special attention to the issue of strengthening cooperation between NATO and the EU, particularly given the current complex international security environment, stressing the importance of integrated and effective security cooperation at this level with a view to joint confrontation to the internal and external security challenges.
Participants of the Plenary Session were presented with a report by Treasury of NATO Parliamentary Assembly Mr Marc Angel, followed by the vote on the Draft Budget for 2018.
In the continuation of the plenary session, the delegates voted on the proposed resolutions and amendments to the Rules of Procedure of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
Within the item of the agenda of the plenary session dedicated to the election and appointments, Mr Paolo Alli, member of the Italian Standing Delegation, was re-elected President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, while the following were elected vice presidents: Lord Campbell form the United Kingdom, Rasa Jukneviciene from Lithuania, Joseph A. Day from Canada, Metin Lufti Baydar from Turkey and Vitalino Canas from Portugal.
The 63rd Annual Session of the NATO PA gathered the representatives of parliaments of member states from the North America and Europe, associate and partner states, observer states, and other relevant representatives, with a goal discussing common security issues of international nature.
Standing Delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro at the 63rd Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly was composed of Mr Obrad Stanišić and Mr Genci Nimanbegu.
The 63rd Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly ends today with the Plenary Session.
