[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] The location for next year's NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) summit has been confirmed as Lithuania. Following this year, there is a possibility that Asian-Pacific partner country leaders, including South Korea, which is not a NATO member, will be invited again next year.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, announced on the 9th (local time) that the summit will be held over two days, July 11 and 12 next year, in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
Secretary General Stoltenberg explained, "We are facing the most complex and unpredictable security environment since the Cold War era," and said the upcoming summit will be "an opportunity to agree on measures to strengthen deterrence and defense capabilities, review increases in defense spending, and take additional steps to provide ongoing support to Ukraine."
He also emphasized, "In a time of increasing strategic competition, the transatlantic alliance between Europe and North America within NATO is crucial for the safety of one billion citizens."
Lithuania, one of the three Baltic states in northeastern Europe, is a small country with a population of 2.8 million but pursues a tough diplomatic stance against major powers such as Russia and China.
Lithuania has historically suffered oppression from the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. It is considered one of the European countries with strong anti-Russian sentiment.
In June, during the ongoing war in Ukraine, Lithuania made a decision to restrict cargo transportation passing through its territory to Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia, which provoked strong backlash from Russia.
Its pro-Taiwan stance, which has caused diplomatic friction with China, is also a notable background. Lithuania disregarded the "One China" principle, which China upholds internationally and enforces on foreign countries, and in November last year, opened the "Taiwan Representative Office in Lithuania" in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital.
Just one year later, on the 7th, it also opened the Taiwan Representative Office (Economic and Cultural Office) in Taipei.
In fact, NATO is seeking to expand its scope, as evidenced by the adoption of the "2022 Strategic Concept" at the summit held in Madrid, Spain, in June this year, which for the first time explicitly mentions the challenges posed by China.
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