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The NATO Summit Wales


The 2014 Wales Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is taking place on September 4 and 5, 2014, in Newport,Wales

Background 

The summit is being hosted by British Prime Minister David Cameron. Attendees include German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, U.S. President Barack Obama, French President François Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso, along with leaders and senior ministers from around 60 other countries. There are another 180 VIPs, and 4,000 delegates and officials.[1] The summit comes as NATO draws down from its International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan and against a backdrop of instability in Ukraine. It is the first NATO summit being held in the United Kingdom since Margaret Thatcher welcomed NATO leaders to London in 1990.

Agenda 

During working sessions at the Celtic Manor and more informal events in Cardiff world address issues which threaten NATO countries’ national security, from fragile states to piracy, from terrorism to cyber attacks. NATO summit meetings provide periodic opportunities for Heads of State and Government of member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had a joint discussion with European G4 leaders and US President Barack Obama before the official start of the Summit, to discuss the crisis with Russia.[2][3][4]

Security 

In both Newport and Cardiff, road closures and security measures, starting weeks in advance of the summit, created widespread disruption.[5] Thirteen miles of 2.7 m (9 ft) high security fencing was erected around the Newport hotel venue[5] and ten miles of fencing put up around Cardiff city centre, creating what was described as a "ring of steel".[6] Businesses in the vicinity of security fencing in Cardiff reported a drop in trade by up to a third.[7]Security includes around 9,500 police officers patrolling the streets of the two cities, military helicopters including US Osprey V22s and theRoyal Navy’s new £1bn Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan.[8]


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