NATO has announced the next heads of state meeting will be held in London, in the organisation’s 70th anniversary year.
Donald Trump is to visit London in December for a meeting of NATO heads of state.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the event on Wednesday.
He said: “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.”
It is the 70th anniversary year of NATO.
Last time Mr Trump visited the UK, he swerved London over security concerns amid huge protests against his visit.
This year, he will be less able to make a detour.
Press Association obtained figures earlier this week that suggested policing Mr Trump’s last visit to the UK cost £14.2m.
The protests included a large inflatable designed to look like a baby Trump, which was flown overhead throughout the march.
Theresa May said in a statement: “The UK is one of the founding members of NATO and I am very pleased that the Secretary General has asked us to host a meeting of NATO leaders this year to mark its 70th anniversary.
“For 70 years NATO has been the cornerstone of our national security. But today’s challenges are very different from those we faced when the Alliance established its first headquarters in London.
“The UK has played a central role throughout NATO’s history as it has adapted to deal with new and complex threats to our security.
“So as we pay tribute to the service men and women who have worked so hard over so many years to keep us safe, December’s meeting is an important opportunity to determine the steps we must now take to modernise the Alliance and ensure its continued success.”
NATO has yet to confirm a venue and date for the meeting.
The announcement comes as Macedonia made a key step in joining NATO by signing the accession protocol document.
Greece has blocked the country’s attempts to join for more than a decade over a name dispute.
The protocol must be ratified by the 29 members, and Macedonia will then call itself North Macedonia to avoid confusion with the Grecian administrative region by the same name.
Culled from Skynews
