Estonian delegation attending NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Tirana

The Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is taking part in the spring session of the assembly in Tirana, Albania, where a declaration for the NATO Warsaw Summit is planned to be endorsed.

NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow is due to brief deputies in the capital Tirana on the summit agenda. The Assembly is then set to endorse a declaration entitled "A United and Resolute Agenda for NATO at the Warsaw Summit."

The declaration urges alliance leaders to strengthen collective defense and develop a comprehensive strategy for promoting stability in North Africa and the Middle East. It also calls on all NATO member states to meet military spending targets and increase defense co-operation in the European Union, spokespeople for the Estonian parliament said.

The session that started on Saturday will discuss increasing the Euro-Atlantic counter-terrorism capabilities and enhancing co-operation. Panel discussions deal with political and security developments and the economic situation in the countries of the Western Balkans, and the events in Libya and Ukraine.

The implementation of the Wales pledges and prospects for the Warsaw Summit, and the economic and security policy impact of the migration crisis that has hit Europe, will also be discussed.

Special attention will be devoted to China's influence in the changing world, and the problems that are caused by Daesh and their impact on allied forces. The session also covers Iran’s nuclear programme.

The priorities of international commitment and contribution of the Albanian armed forces are also on the agenda of the NATO PA Spring Session, which will last until Monday. The session will also acknowledge Montenegro, which recently received an invitation to join NATO and will become the alliance's 29th member state.

The Spring Session in Tirana brings together more than 250 delegates from 28 NATO member states. Representatives of partner countries, observers, and various organisations also participate in the session.

The Session in Tirana is attended by the chairman of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Ants Laaneots, and members of the delegation Sven Mikser, Kadri Simson and Marko Mihkelson.