Sixty-six NATO member and partner countries have concluded two days of meetings at NATO Headquarters. Chiefs of Defence and military representatives held a series of meetings chaired by Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola.
The areas covered include; Afghanistan, Kosovo, Ocean Shield, Active Endeavour, Mediterranean Dialogue, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Ukraine, NATO Transformation and the NATO-Russia Council.
Ambassador Mark Sedwill and the ISAF Commander, General David Petraeus, addressed the Afghanistan session. The provision of trainers for the Afghan National Security Forces has been prioritised.
The Commander of KFOR, General Erhard Buehler and the head of EULEX, Mr. Xavier Bout de Marnhac addressed the session on Kosovo. Corruption and organized crime were recognized as the greatest threats to long-term stability in the region.
At the session regarding the NATO-Russia Council, 29 Chief Heads of Defence approved an expanded Military Work Plan for 2011. NATO described the plan as “ambitious” and “far-reaching”. An exchange of military academics has already taken place with a view to sharing information on mutual strategic security issues. Theatre missile defence is also a new area of cooperation.
The NRC has also approved the “NATO-Russia Council Consolidated Glossary of Cooperation” containing over 6000 terms and key areas of NATO-Russia political and military cooperation. Army General Nikolay Makarov and Adm. Giampaolo Di Paola will edit the glossary together. NATO and Russia have agreed a framework to co-operate on logistics, counter terrorism, search & rescue at sea and counter piracy.