NATO meeting to assess post-2014 Afghan role

KABUL mission of training, advising and assisting Afghan forces.

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu at a press briefing at NATO headquarters in Brussels said it would be the first meeting of defence ministers since the announcement of a NATO summit next year in the UK.

“So this meeting will be a first step on the road to that summit,” she said, adding Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen will be doing a doorstep at the NATO main entrance at around 11h30.

“The first working session will start at 14h30 with public opening remarks by the Secretary General. The theme will be capabilities, with a focus on cyber defence, missile defence and NATO reforms writ large.”

The second working session will be an opportunity to assess work on the Connected Forces Initiative, training, education mission at the end of 2014, she said. “As in the past, EU High Representative Cathy Ashton has been invited to both sessions.”

On Wednesday (Oct 23), Lungescu said they would be kicking off fairly early with the NATO Russia Council as the first opportunity for NATO defence ministers to meet their counterpart Sergey Shoigu.

“It will be an opportunity to build on the positive practical cooperation and military and defence cooperation so far and also, I would expect that they will be discussing current international security issues”.

She said Rasmussen, who is the NATO-Russia Council chairman, will be making a brief press point thereafter.

“And at 11h15, we will continue with the final session – that is meeting with ISAF partners. They will be reviewing the state of transition, progress of the Afghan forces.”

The final session would be joined by Afghan Defence Minister Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, EU high representative Cathy Ashton and UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Jan Kubis.

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