NATO Dayton Ohio: Updates on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Friday, May 23

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is in downtown Dayton for its spring session. Here are things to know about what happen Friday.

• Click here for photos from assembly activity on Friday

NATO opening ceremonies begin Friday afternoon

To end the war in Ukraine will require moral strength and clarity of purpose, the president of NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly declared as the first day of the assembly’s spring session opened Friday at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Center in downtown Dayton.

“How this war ends will define the world we and our children live in,” NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Marcos Perestrello said as hundreds of NATO delegates gathered in the Shuster Center’s Winsupply Theater, which had been transformed for the event.

Saying NATO faced the “most difficult security environment in a generation,” Perestrello said the alliance must summon “clarity, unity and strength” to help end the war in Ukraine and rebalance defense investments.

Perestrello acknowledged that change will be part of the challenge. President Donald Trump has called on NATO members to meet required defense investments as a percentage of national gross domestic product.

“We must shift the transatlantic burden and responsibility within NATO,” Perestrello said.

Credit: Bryant Billing

Credit: Bryant Billing

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau welcomed delegates and applauded Dayton as the birthplace of the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended a 1990s war in the former Yugoslavia and which some have cited as a possible model for ending the war in Ukraine.

“There are few more noble endeavors that seeking peace for yourself and for others,” Landau said.

The accords were crafted over 21 days at nearby Wright-Patterson Air Force Base 30 years ago this November, and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner said delegates and invited guests can look forward to a performance of the Sarajevo Philharmonic at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force this weekend.

He praised the base’s role in “in bringing the leaders of the Balkan areas to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to bring an end to the bloodshed and to the horrific war” in that region, and he challenged delegates to take the lessons of the Dayton accords and apply them “prospectively” to Ukraine.

However, during a panel discussion Friday, when asked what lessons the accords offer that could be applied toward Ukraine, Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, declared to applause: “None.”

“This is a different kind of conflict,” Bildt said. “With Ukraine, you have Russia trying to rebuild an empire.”

Ahead of delivering opening remarks, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine stopped to greet law enforcement officers on Main Street as he walked from the Schuster Center across the street.

“Wishing you a quiet weekend,” DeWine said, shaking the hands of a dozen or so police officers.

Call to action ignites NATO opening ceremonies

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly received a passionate call to action Friday by retired Gen. Wesley Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

During a panel discussion reflecting on the 30th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords and re-examining the Balkan situation today, Clark shared his opinion on how NATO should view the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Don’t be timid,” Clark said. “I see a timid international response. I see a nation struggling to defend itself and really fighting for the freedom of all the rest of us against a breakdown of the rules of international order.”

He encouraged the delegates to look to the Dayton Peace Accords for an example of constructive diplomacy.

“(There was) real engagement in 1995 with, ultimately, the Dayton Peace Accords,” Clark said. “Is there a lesson here with Ukraine? Absolutely. If you want to stop aggression, hold fast to rules-based international order… This is a pre-planned operation by Russia long in the making. And this is not the end of this and we cannot mislead ourselves. This is no longer business as usual.”

Credit: AP

He also drew a comparison between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Slobodan Milošević, former president of Serbia.

“How could (Putin) think he could prevail?” Clark said. “The same way Slobodan Milošević thought he could pull the eyes over Europe in 1992 with his small army overwhelming Bosnia. He didn’t get away with it. With your leadership and commitment, Mr. Putin won’t get away with it either.”

Christopher Hill, former U.S. Ambassador to Serbia, also reflected positively about the Dayton Peace Accords. As a member of the team that negotiated the peace agreement, particularly working closely with lead negotiator Richard Holbrooke, he noted the importance of why Holbrooke wanted the United States, ultimately Dayton, as the backdrop for the historic accords.

“A lot of people doubted whether the U.S. would be serious about a conflict in a small country far away,” Hill said. “And (Holbrooke) had a strategic concept. He said if we are going to show we are serious about ending this conflict we should put it in the U.S…. (He) decided to put it in Dayton and (felt) the Americans were going to stick with it.”

Former DDN columnist talks about Dayton Peace Accords

Thirty years after she covered the Dayton Peace Accords for the region’s newspaper, a former Dayton Daily News journalist said the Gem City is seeing a “full circle moment” with NATO’s return to the area.

“I think it does bring back those memories for those of us who were alive and adults at the time, of the sense of pride we have,” said Mary McCarty. “Driving down the streets and seeing all the flags from all over the world on Main Street… Dayton has not forgotten about Bosnia or the Peace Talks.”

The former Dayton Daily News columnist was among panelists during a conversation about coverage of conflict in the Balkans.

McCarty said she spent a lot of her time covering the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995 near a chain-link fence outside the Hope Hotel. There were times she and others would see Slobodan Milošević — the former president of Serbia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia before he was overthrown in 2000 — attending basketball games, dining at local restaurants and shopping at the Fairfield Mall.

“It was quite surreal,” she said. “You’d think, here’s someone who’s probably responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians and he’s just taking a walk 10 yards from me.”

Dayton residents embraced the negotiations, McCarty said. She remembers candlelight vigils and billboards calling Dayton the “City of Peace.”

“I think a lot of them really educated themselves,” she said. “To be quite honest, the average American probably knew very little about the conflict until there were some events that broke through.”

Downtown bakery buoyed by online sales, loyal customers

Val’s Bakery manager Delaney Harmon said that the business has continued to do well while the NATO assembly is in town, driven partly by online pre-orders and DoorDash orders.

“People really showed up online,” she said.

In general, she said that their sales have been carried by loyal customers, adding that people from the nearby apartments are still going about their days, and there is still a good amount of parking near the 25 S. St. Clair St. business.

Harmon said that protests did not appear to be deterring their customers, who said they were still planning to come down to the bakery.

She said that a few people had taken business cards to hand out to people inside the NATO village.

When asked if they expect people from the assembly to feel at home at the European-style bakery, she laughed and said “I hope so.”

She encouraged people to still come out to downtown businesses, saying the bakery’s hours are still the same through the weekend.

“Don’t be afraid to come,” she said.

‘Free Speech’ zone open in downtown

The “free speech” zone in downtown that has been created to give people a place to protest during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly has been mostly or entirely empty so far this week, through Friday afternoon.

But that could change on Saturday and Sunday, with protests planned by multiple groups.

On Friday morning, four women who are members of a liberal coffee club that meet weekly at the downtown Dayton Metro Library brought folding chairs into the protest zone to hang out and talk. They brought signs that read, “No more kings,” “Fight fascism,” and “Resist tyranny, save democracy.”

The coffee club typically has 12 to 15 people in attendance. But the library is closed during the NATO events, and some regulars decided to skip this week’s get-together, possibly because of the parking and traffic challenges created by the NATO security area.

The four women said they plan to be at the protests in Dayton over the next few days. They said they are not worried about safety problems, because they’ve been to multiple protests and none of them got out of hand.

“I’m not worried about the people in Dayton,” said Terri Clary, of Miamisburg. “But there will be people from many other places coming, and I hope they know we want to be peaceful — that’s what we’re doing."

Clary and her group said they thought there would be more people protesting in downtown on Friday, but they hope and expect to see a decent turnout over the holiday weekend.

Clary said her group participate in protests all the time, but they hope the protests during the NATO session will get a lot more attention from the media and the world.

“People are protesting but the media isn’t covering it, so it looks like people don’t care, but we do,” she said. “I think there’s more people who care than anyone knows.”

Kathy Jones, of Dayton, said they are not against NATO.

NATO’s “not perfect, but we are certainly for them,” Jones said. “We are just against the ‘Orange Regime,” referencing President Donald Trump.

She said she hopes the NATO session will bring attention to Dayton and show to the world that the Gem City is a nice place.

Downtown pet store feeling impact of security zone

Dee Fuerst, whose daughter Mariah Barrett owns Wild Whiskers pet store at 33 S. St. Clair St., said sales and foot traffic this week have been very slow at the store.

“It’s been a negative impact as far as sales because people don’t want to come downtown,” she said. “They know something’s happening and they don’t know if they’re going to have access to the store.”

The store is near the Fire Blocks District and the NATO security area.

Wild Whiskers was open all this week and will be open on Saturday, but then will close down on Sunday and Monday, which is normal.

Fuerst said her daughter talked with her customers ahead of time about the NATO Parliamentary Assembly so they could stock up on supplies if they wished.

Fuerst noted that a pet store is probably not as likely to be patronized by NATO delegates, guests and other international visitors as other kinds of businesses, like food, beverage and dining establishments.

“Maybe they can stuff a toy in their bag,” she said.

City releases apology to residents upset by unannounced fireworks display

Fireworks lit up the night sky north of downtown Dayton on Thursday night as part of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Warning of the loud booms and explosions, however, was only given roughly 30 minutes ahead of the display’s start.

“We’re truly sorry for the inconvenience and concern this caused,” the City of Dayton’s communications team wrote in a statement Friday morning.

• Fireworks light up Dayton sky as part of NATO Parliamentary Assembly

How are downtown businesses being affected?

Martina Scott, the owner of Boss Potatoes has been in business for four years, but has been in the kitchen of the Dayton Arcade since August 2024. The location is open Tuesday through Saturday’s.

She said her specialty is potatoes, especially gourmet potatoes from cheesesteak to buffalo chicken, salmon, chicken bacon ranch to anything one can name.

“Today will be my first day experiencing in the whole NATO experience,” Scott said. “I had outside events the beginning of the week, so today I’ll be open and I’ll get to see what’s really going on.”

When asked if she believes there will be a uptick in foot traffic and sales, she said. “So, I think it’s gonna happen. We have that new hotel inside of here and a lot of them are inside of there so I know it’s gonna happen. I am excited about it, and I was just talking about it while I’m getting ready, so I’m excited to see how it’s gonna make things grow.”

She said the security zone has had plenty of impact especially with parking for people and DoorDashers, but has been encouraging people to call ahead for orders so they (Boss Potatoes) can have it ready for them, or maybe be able to run out orders to them to make it easier on everybody. She added she is trying to work around that and said she doesn’t need any more barriers.

“I would say about 70 percent of my business is pulling up,” she said.

Scott said she is not stressed about the number of people and that she’s blending in and going with it because she’s not scared or nervous. She added, “everybody loves food and everybody loves my food.”

Editor Josh Sweigart spoke with the owner and customers at Salt Block Biscuit Co. in the Fire Blocks District.

There were about four customers around 10:30 a.m. Friday. Justin Mohler, owner of the restaurant, said business is “slow.”

“The streets are dead,” he said. “Probably because of all the blockage, and people are misinformed about things. It’s very unorganized.”

“I don’t think blocking off everything was necessary,” he said, noting that roads are barricaded blocks from where NATO delegates are meeting.

“Our sales are low and I still have to pay my staff for the week,” he said.

Salt Block is open regular hours Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Most downtown Dayton businesses open during NATO: ‘Not as slow as we feared’

Credit: Natalie Jones

Chef who cooked during Bosnian Peace Accords will make a meal for Swedish delegates in Dayton

Table 33 Executive Chef Keith Taylor recalled working as a 25 year old line cook at l’Auberge in 1995 when the Dayton Peace Accords was signed — ending the war in Bosnia.

He was a part of a team that cooked for Richard Holbrooke, the chief U.S. peace negotiator who served as assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs at the time, along with several other key players such as Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic, Serbian President Slobodan Milohostsevic and Croatian President Franjo Tudjman.

• Read more about Chef Keith Taylor

Credit: MICHAEL HEINZ

From our Vintage Dayton Newsletter: Dayton Peace Accords ended Bosnian war 30 years ago

The negotiations that led to an agreement on Nov. 21, 1995 at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base put an end to the atrocities of the Bosnia war, a bloody conflict that destroyed many lives and tore families apart.

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Credit: AP

NATO secretary general is coming to Dayton

NATO’s highest ranking representative is coming to Dayton as the organization’s Parliamentary Assembly officially opens its spring session Friday afternoon.

The NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, will take part in sessions Sunday and Monday, NATO announced Friday. The assembly meets in Dayton through Monday.

Rutte will address the session’s Plenary Session and participate in a question-and-answer session moderated by the assembly’s president, Marcos Perestrello, of Portugal.

• NEW DETAILS: NATO secretary general is coming to Dayton

Traffic steady among Dayton roads, highways as NATO assembly reconvenes today

Traffic is steady into Friday in downtown Dayton where road closures and detours continue as a result of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Traffic on the Ohio Department of Transportation traffic map as of 1:35 p.m. shows no major delays or backups on the streets of Dayton.

Traffic is flowing on I-70/I-75, and I-675 lightly this afternoon.

Multiple roads are closed downtown in the NATO Village restricted area with the security perimeter in place through Tuesday.

The security perimeter includes:

Southern border: Monument Avenue closed from Main Street to Riverside Drive
Northern border: Third Street closed between North Ludlow Street and North Jefferson Street

Dayton has sign boards with detours placed at: