The choice of Newport to host the NATO summit came as a complete surprise to me and, I would guess to most other people.

When David Cameron made the announcement it was greeted by everyone with disbelief, followed by a wave of apathy.

It is surely the most important meeting ever to take place in Newport.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, to give it its proper title, is a defensive alliance, founded in 1949 to counter the threat from Russia.

In view of what is going on in the Ukraine at the moment, it could be argued that there has never been a more important meeting in the recent history of the alliance.

There are 28 member nations in NATO, all of whose heads of Government will attend. The USA and Canada and every nation in Europe, except neutral Switzerland, will be represented.

Security will be an issue. The police presence for a visiting football team will be as nothing to the army of protection that will accompany President Obama alone, never mind the other 20 or so heads of government.

The Celtic Manor will be an armed camp.

Having said this, it is an honour for Newport to be noticed, let alone chosen, for such an important world meeting.

Newport where? some people said. The Americans are probably even now trying to book accommodation in Newport, Rhode Island!

But no, it will be held in our Newport - Newport South Wales.

I hope that we will not have all the nonsense that happened at the time of the 2010 Ryder Cup, when the Celtic Manor was variously described as being in Cardiff, or the Vale of Usk.

Accommodation will also be an issue, as a reputed 7,000 journalists will be present.

This is when we can all do our best to show off Newport to its best advantage. That is why I have previously suggested that we all take part in a huge clean up. The press will want to write background pieces about the city where the NATO summit is being held. Ultimately, it is up to each one of us to give a good impression of Newport.

There will probably never be another time when so much attention will be focussed on Newport - 'Newport, host to NATO, centre of the world'.