Prime Minister Theresa May said:
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.