Security is not a commodity, security is a value. Every citizen and every society deserves to be safe. The key role of NATO is to defend peace – said Andrzej Duda, President of the Republic of Poland, during the opening of the Warsaw Summit Experts’ Forum. The event was held at the National Stadium in Warsaw as a part of the NATO summit organised between July 8-9, 2016. According to President Duda, the fear of losing global peace – peace that we have known so far – is growing. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen our potential for deterrence within the NATO alliance. Małgorzata Bonikowska, President of CIR, and Janusz Onyszkiewicz, CIR expert and former Polish Minister of National Defence also took part in the event.
Barack Obama, the President of the United States, described the whole NATO summit as a key event in the history of the alliance. In nearly 70 years of NATO, never have we faced such a range of challenges all at once: security, humanitarian, and political. Several NATO nations have endured terrorist attacks directed or inspired by ISIS. Russia has violated the sovereignty of Ukraine – an independent European nation – and engaged in provocative behaviour towards NATO allies. European borders have been tested by millions of migrants fleeing conflicts and depravation. In addition, the vote in the UK to leave the EU has raised questions about the future of European integration. In this demanding moment, President Obama declared the unwavering commitment of the United States to the security and defence of Europe and to the relationship between the transatlantic allies.
