Migration, terrorism, hybrid threats in focus at parliamentary NATO conference

Mass migration, terrorism, hybrid threats, fake news and growing nationalism in Ukraine were in focus at the 21st International Parliamentary NATO Conference organised in Budapest on Thursday. In his opening address, deputy parliamentary speaker Csaba Hende said international relations were characterised by uncertainty and unpredictability. In recent years, the threats facing the Euro-Atlantic region have grown more serious and complex, he told the conference. Threats like hybrid warfare, mass migration and its links to terrorism require new, joint solutions from NATO member states, Hende said. He said cyberspace has become one of the most critical "battlefields" in the world today on which attacks can range from the disruption of the decision-making mechanisms of countries to serious attacks on a country's critical infrastructure.