31st formal meeting of heads of government of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) was held on June 14, 2021 in Brussels, Belgium. NATO summit 2021 is also being dubbed as Brussels summit of NATO.
Agenda of the meeting
NATO Leaders discussed key issues, took decisions about future of NATO and agreed on concrete measures to adapt NATO in accordance with NATO 2030 agenda. Topics of discussion include NATO’s role in changing geostrategic environment, emerging technologies, collective defence, climate change and security.
About North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NATO, also called as North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance of 30 European and North American countries. NATO implements North Atlantic Treaty which was signed in 1949. It comprises of a system of collective defence where independent member states agree for mutual defence in case of any attack by external party. Headquarter of NATO is located at Haren in Brussels, Belgium.
Members of NATO
Originally, NATO had 12 members which has increased to 30 now. Most recent member state is North Macedonia which was added to organisation on March 27, 2020. Aspiring members include- Bosnia & Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine.
Military Spending of NATO
Combined military spending of NATO members was over 57% of global nominal total in 2020. Members have aim of reaching or maintaining the target defence spending of at least 2% of their GDP by 2024.