The NATO summit in Madrid has been a complete success. “The reception in Spain has been perfect. All the allies express their gratitude to Spain, to Madrid, a beautiful city, which has been the best possible setting”, said the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg.

In these three days decisions have been made that have been branded as historic, -even the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, compared it to the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989-.

These are the successes of “a summit of transformation”:

New strategic concept

The 30 countries that participated in the summit approved a new Strategic Concept where they stressed that “although NATO is a defensive Alliance, no one should doubt our strength and determination to defend every inch of allied territory, preserve sovereignty and the integrity of the territory of all the Allies and prevail against any aggressor.”

The new Strategic Concept “reaffirms NATO’s key objective of ensuring collective defense, based on a 360-degree approach,” according to the document.

A new strategy, ten years ahead, which represents a change in the Alliance’s strategy, which has been able to adapt to the new reality of the war in Ukraine.

Entry of Finland and Sweden

This summit will also be remembered for the entry of Finland and Sweden into the Alliance. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed the reality of Arizona and of security in Europe. A diplomatic breakthrough between Finland, Sweden, and Turkey took place in Madrid on Tuesday. Ankara signed a trilateral memorandum with Helsinki and Stockholm raising their opposition and officially welcoming them into the bloc.

South flank protection

Point 11 of the ‘Strategic Environment’ section also has a section dedicated to the southern flank, underlining the challenges and threats from Africa and the Middle East and expressly mentioning the Sahel. The new concept includes the “security challenges” of the south without mentioning Ceuta and Melilla.

China in the spotlight

For the first time, NATO’s strategic concept has included China. “The declared ambitions and coercive policies of the People’s Republic of China challenge our interests, security, and values. The People’s Republic of China employs a wide range of political, economic, and military tools to increase its global footprint and project power, while remaining opaque about its strategy, intentions, and military development,” the document states.

Perfect organization

The organization has been perfect. No traffic problems, to get to the IFEMA fairgrounds where the meetings were held. There have also been no security problems and all corners of Madrid have been under the control of the Security Forces and Bodies. Special mention, the dinners at the Royal Palace and the Prado Museum. Because of the place, where the guests were enthralled by the museum’s galleries and by the food served by two great Spanish chefs such as José Andrés and Paco Roncero.