The NATO Parliamentary Assembly held its annual session in Halifax, on 16-19 November 2018, hosted by the Parliament of Canada. Delegates from 29 NATO member states together with partner countries and organizations participated in the parliamentary debates.
Delegates addressed a wide range of issues, including hybrid warfare, deterrence, and space and defense innovation. A particular emphasis was placed on the issue of energy security, and the need for Europe to become less dependent on Russia as its key supplier. Of particular interest to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean was the discussion on the Instability in the South, presented by Hon. Julio MIRANDA CALHA (Portugal), who addressed in his report the key security challenges in the MENA region.
PAM President Pedro Roque contributed to the discussion, outlining the activities of PAM regarding increasing terrorist activity in the Sahel and sub-Saharan Africa, mass migration management, and the efforts to support conflict resolution processes and national reconciliation in Libya, Syria and Israel-Palestine.
PAM enjoys a strong relationship with NATO PA, and considers NATO a key security actor in the Euro-Mediterranean region. PAM is currently strengthening its cooperation with SHAPE and the JFC Naples Southern Hub, which will monitor security treats and crises in the Mediterranean and Africa, and where PAM is establishing a structured cooperation to facilitate dialogue and exchange of information.