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A Christmas hunt Lapland, Finland: high in NATO’s north, Finnish Army conscripts begin the hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Selecting a suitable tree from Finland’s dense forests is a national tradition, and even though these soldiers are on guard for the holidays, that doesn’t stop them from partaking. After the tree is settled and decorated, the soldiers receive a special visitor with a sack full of gifts. Who could it be? Happy holidays from everyone at NATO. Click here to download the video.  You can also watch the video on YouTube. NATO Secretary General with Prime Minister of Slovakia: support to Ukraine is not charity, it is an investment in our security NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (14 December 2023). Mr Stoltenberg praised Slovakia’s commitment to the Alliance, including hosting a multinational NATO battlegroup, deploying forces to Latvia, and planning to invest 2% of GDP in defence this year. They also discussed continued support to Ukraine and further bolstering the Alliance’s deterrence and defence. Click here to download the joint press conference by the NATO Secretary General and Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia. The webstory is available on the NATO website, as well as the transcript of the joint press conference.

15 December 2023 Update NATO Secretary General with Prime Minister of Slovakia: support to Ukraine is not charity, it is an investment in our security Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico to NATO Headquarters on 14 December 2023. Mr Stoltenberg praised Slovakia’s commitment to the Alliance, including hosting a multinational NATO battlegroup, deploying forces to Latvia, and planning to invest 2% of GDP in defence this year. They also discussed continued support to Ukraine and further bolstering the Alliance’s deterrence and defence. READ MORE NATO Secretary General holds talks with Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, welcomes closer ties with Saudi Arabia Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with the Defence Minister of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, during a visit to Riyadh on 13 December 2023, welcoming the development of closer ties between NATO and the Kingdom. READ MORE Secretary General sets out vision for deeper NATO–Saudi Arabia cooperation in historic first visit to Riyadh Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg set out his vision for deeper cooperation between NATO and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in an historic visit to Riyadh – the first ever by a sitting Secretary General of NATO. READ MORE NATO agrees 2024 budgets, demonstrating Allied solidarity in addressing shared security challenges Allies agreed NATO’s civil and military budgets for 2024 at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council on 13 December 2023. The civil budget is set at €438.1 million, and the military budget is set at €2.03 billion, representing a 18.2% and 12% increase respectively over 2023. READ MORE NATO’s new Defence Industrial Production Board meets to boost defence industrial capacity On Wednesday 13 December, senior representatives from across the Alliance gathered at NATO Headquarters in Brussels to hold the first meeting of the Defence Industrial Production Board. READ MORE NATO and Iraq continue to strengthen their cooperation through defence education activities Representatives from eight Iraqi professional military education institutions, led by Staff Lieutenant General Aqeel Mustafa Mahdi Al Rammah, President of the Iraqi Defence University for Military Studies, visited NATO Headquarters on 12 and 13 December 2023. The visit was part of the annual review of their defence education activities, within the framework of NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP). READ MORE NATO Military Committee engages with partners, ahead of upcoming Chiefs of Defence meeting On 14 December 2023, the NATO Military Committee held two different meetings with partners to prepare and discuss the agenda for the upcoming Chiefs of Defence meeting in January 2024. READ MORE NATO’s first-ever gaming tournament in Warsaw, Poland NATO experts joined Maciej Musiał, Polish gaming talent @setokani and @grabagra, alongside American streamers @ZeRoyalViking and @mischaCrossing and Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Marie-Doha Besancenot to play games including Among Us and Party Animals, and talk all things disinformation and information security. READ MORE Don’t fight the future, decide it! Ruben-Erik Diaz-Plaja, Joshua Polchar SUBSCRIBE THIS WEEK IN PICTURES

Don’t fight the future, decide it! Ruben-Erik Diaz-Plaja, Joshua Polchar How policy planners can learn from the future to make better decisions now. “Don’t fight the problem, decide it!” This quote, attributed to former United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall, pithily sums up the attitude of effective policy planning in times of turbulence. The temptation to “fight” problems comes from the expectation that all problems are solvable. Yet some problems are unsolvable, and the fight becomes a losing battle. READ/LISTEN MORE

12 December 2023

NATO Secretary General meets the Prime Minister of Slovakia On Thursday, 14 December 2023, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will receive the Prime Minister of Slovakia, Mr Robert Fico, at the NATO Headquarters. Media advisory 10:00 (CET)   Joint press conference by the Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Slovakia Media coverage Media representatives with annual accreditation to NATO for 2023 can cover the press conference in person. The event will be streamed live on Twitter @NATOPress and on the NATO website. A transcript of the Secretary General’s remarks, as well as photographs, will be on the NATO website. Video can be download for free from the NATO Multimedia Portal after the event.   For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office

11 December 2023

NATO Secretary General to visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia On 12 and 13 December, the NATO Secretary General, Mr Jens Stoltenberg, will visit the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He will meet with the Minister of Defence, H.E. Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, and other high-level officials. He will also participate in a moderated discussion at Saudi Arabia National Defense University. Media Advisory 13 December 2023, Time TBC (CET)   Secretary General at the Saudi Arabia National Defense University Media Coverage Photographs, will be available on the NATO website.   For more information: Contact the NATO Press Office

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