NATO leaders are arriving at a conference center in Madrid for the third and final day of their annual summit. The 30-member alliance is due to wrap up its talks with a working session on security concerns for its southern flank, namely in unstable areas of North Africa and the Middle East. On Wednesday, NATO nations pledged their continued support for Ukraine in its efforts to resist Russia's invasion. NATO has also announced that it will boost its rapid response forces for Eastern Europe, increasing them from 40,000 to 300,000 troops ready to react to any attack by Russia against NATO territory. The alliance has also cleared the path for Sweden and Finland to become new members after overcoming Turkey's misgivings.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 30, 2022 07:14 UTC