NATO leaders to gather in London in December

By Jeyhun Aliyev

ANKARA (AA) - The leaders of NATO member states will meet in London in December this year, the chief of alliance said on Wednesday.

The meeting of 29 NATO heads of state and government will mark alliance’s 70th anniversary of the founding, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

Noting that London was the home to NATO's first headquarters, Stoltenberg expressed his gratitude to the U.K. for agreeing to host the meeting.

"The meeting in London will be an opportunity for Allied Heads of State and Government to address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that NATO continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe," he said.

Among the 12 founding members of NATO, the U.K. still "continues to play a key role" and makes essential contributions to the shared security of the alliance, Stoltenberg stressed.

The leaders of NATO member states traditionally meet at the summit organized every two years. The member countries held last summit at NATO headquarters in Brussels last year.