400 MPs from 32 NATO member states and 25 partner countries and parliamentary organizations are attending the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, hosted from Saturday till Monday by Sofia, Bulgaria. Participants will discuss major topics on the Euro-Atlantic defense and security agenda, emphasizing support for Ukraine and the priorities of the upcoming NATO summit in Washington in July. Over the weekend, MPs are taking part in talks in the five committees of the Parliamentary Assembly, discussing draft reports and adopting important political recommendations. In Monday’s plenary session, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will deliver a speech, and Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov will deliver a message via video conference. MPs from NATO member states will discuss and adopt decisions regarding the requests made by Malta and Kosovo to receive the status of NATO associated states. The Parliamentary Assembly will also tackled challenges from the countries of the Western Balkans, along with strategies to support partners at risk and to strengthen engagement with the ‘Global South’ (low- or middle-income countries in Latin America, Africa, Asia and Oceania).
