Brussels, 17 February 2026 (MIA) - A parliament delegation led by Dragan Kovachki, including Slavjanka Petrovska and Ilir Hasani, is participating in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as part of the February Joint Committee Meetings in Brussels. 

The meetings are scheduled to be attended only by permanent delegations from the national parliaments of NATO member states, aiming to deepen dialogue within NATO institutions, exchange experiences and analyze current security challenges, as well as strengthen the solidarity of the Alliance, the Parliament said in a press release. 

The meeting of the NATO PA and the North Atlantic Council, co-chaired by NATO PA President Marcos Perestrello and NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska, was attended by the heads of national parliamentary delegations.

Participants in the discussions, reads the press release, pointed out that NATO, faced with security challenges, remains the cornerstone and guarantor of collective defence and shared democratic values, while the commitment of member states contained in the Washington Treaty will continue to keep citizens safe.

"The commitments made at the NATO Summit in The Hague are historic in terms of strengthening the Alliance, and now, ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara, they should be finalized with the highest rate of implementation. Participants underlined that despite differences over the decades, Europe and North America manage to find a common language on open issues. The parliamentarians agreed to continue support for Ukraine and to work together on a peace agreement with solid guarantees and the prevention of future destructive actions," the press release adds. 

Meetings also tackled issues related to the defense and security of every inch of the Euro-Atlantic Area, Russian and Chinese challenges to Euro-Atlantic security, hybrid threats and NATO in the context of strategic planning, NATO partnerships as a vital and important part of the Alliance's policy, visions towards NATO 2035, as well as the efforts of the EU and NATO in the development of the defence industry and security capabilities and the role of parliament in decision-making processes. Security risks in Europe, strategic priorities of the Alliance and the importance of collective defence in the context of new global challenges were also discussed.

"Parliamentarians had the opportunity to engage in direct debate with several prominent and renowned speakers, including the Belgian Minister of Defence and Foreign Trade, Theo Francken, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General, James Appathurai, and the Deputy Head of the NATO Representation to Ukraine, Peter Hauge Berg, the press release reads. 

The delegation's participation in the event, it adds, represented a significant activity in strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and supporting reform steps in global dynamic processes, which are of essential importance for the country as NATO member.

Photo: Parliament