2018 Brussels summit explained

Summit Name:	NATO Summit Brussels 2018
Other Titles:	2018 Brussels Summit
Country:	Belgium
Venues:	NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium
Cities:	Brussels
Date:	11–12 July 2018
Follows:	2017 Brussels summit

The 2018 Brussels Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was the 28th formal meeting of the heads of state and heads of government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, held in Brussels, Belgium, on 11 and 12 July 2018.^{[1] [2]}

Events

On 10 July 2018 the so-called 2018 Brussels Joint Declaration was signed,^{[3] [4] [5]} between Jean-Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and Jens Stoltenberg.^[6]

On the opening day of the conference the President of the United States, Donald Trump, caused controversy by asserting that Germany is beholden to Russia over its involvement in the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline project aimed at doubling energy imports from Russia.^[7] This was the first time he addressed the leaders since the inauguration ceremony of the new NATO Headquarters, at which he stressed a similar point. German Chancellor Angela Merkel reacted defensively to Trump's comments and tried to deflect them with: "I am very happy that today we are united in freedom, the Federal Republic of Germany. Because of that we can say that we can make our independent policies and make independent decisions."^[8]

Leaders and other dignitaries in attendance

Member states

– Prime Minister Edi Rama – King Philippe and Prime Minister Charles Michel – President Rumen Radev – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau – President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović – President Miloš Zeman – Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen – Prime Minister Jüri Ratas – President Emmanuel Macron – Chancellor Angela Merkel – Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir – Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte – President Raimonds Vējonis

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– President Dalia Grybauskaitė – Prime Minister Xavier Bettel – Prime Minister Duško Marković – Prime Minister Mark Rutte – Prime Minister Erna Solberg – President Andrzej Duda – Prime Minister António Costa – President Klaus Iohannis – President Andrej Kiska – Prime Minister Miro Cerar – Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – Prime Minister Theresa May – President Donald Trump – Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Non-member states and organisations

• – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan^[9]
• – President Ilham Aliyev^[10]
• – President Sauli Niinistö^[11]
• – President Giorgi Margvelashvili^[12]
• – Prime Minister Zoran Zaev^[13]
• – Prime Minister Stefan Löfven
• – President Petro Poroshenko^[14]
• – President Ashraf Ghani^[15]

Security

For the first time a RF Drone Detection System was used (a white dome seen at the right rooftop of the summit picture).

Aftermath

The New York Times reported on 9 August 2018 that Trump's senior national security advisors, concerned that Trump might disrupt the summit as he did by refusing to sign the communiqué at the June G7 summit, scrambled to secure a formal policy agreement during the weeks before the summit.^[16]

See also

• 2018 Russia–United States summit

External links

• NATO

Notes and References

1. Web site: NATO Secretary General announces dates for 2018 Brussels Summit. 20 October 2017. nato.int.
2. News: Trump Plans July Trip to Brussels for NATO Summit, Officials Say. Jacobs. Jennifer. 6 June 2018. Bloomberg L.P.. 19 June 2018. Olorunnipa. Toluse.
3. Web site: Joint Declaration on EU-NATO Cooperation by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission, and the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . European Council.
4. News: NATO and EU leaders sign joint declaration . NATO . 10 July 2018.
5. Tardy, Thierry, and Gustav Lindstrom: “The Scope of EU-NATO Cooperation” in NATO and the EU: The Essential Partners. NATO Defense College, 2019.
6. News: President Jean-Claude Juncker signs a joint declaration on EU-NATO cooperation and delivers press remarks together with Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, and Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of NATO, in Brussels. . EU Monitor . 10 July 2018.
7. News: Democrats assail Trump's remarks on Germany's reliance on Russia despite Kerry, Biden issuing similar concerns. Mikelionis. Lukas. 13 July 2018. Fox News Channel. 14 July 2018.
8. Web site: Angela Merkel hits back at Donald Trump at Nato summit. MacAskill. Ewen. 11 July 2018. The Guardian. 11 July 2018.
9. News: Prime Minister, Deputy PM, Ministers: Armenia gears up for NATO Summit . 10 July 2018 . panarmenian.net . 9 July 2018.
10. Web site: Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic – NEWS " Events. en.president.az. 12 August 2018.
11. News: Presidentti Niinistö Naton huippukokoukseen heinäkuussa . 27 June 2018. Yle. 29 June 2018. fi.
12. Web site: Საქართველოს პრეზიდენტის ოფიციალური ვებგვერდი . 10 July 2018 . 29 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200929195700/https://www.president.gov.ge/en-US/pressamsakhuri/siakhleebi/saqartvelos-prezidenti-da-qartuli-delegacia-nato-s.aspx . dead .
13. News: Macedonia And NATO Sign Deal On Accession Process . 14 July 2018 . Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty . 12 July 2018.
14. News: VOA: Ukraine will attend NATO summit despite Hungarian objection. 5 July 2018 . Unian Information Agency . 4 July 2018.
15. News: NATO summit tries to move past transatlantic tensions. 19 May 2022 . France 24 . 7 December 2018.
16. News: U.S. Officials Scrambled Behind the Scenes to Shield NATO Deal From Trump. The New York Times. 9 August 2018. 12 August 2018. Cooper. Helene. Barnes. Julian E..