Meeting of Defence Ministers

GENERAL

1. An extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) at the level of Defence Ministers will be held via secure teleconference on Wednesday 15 April 2020. The meeting will be chaired by the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, and will be focused on the Alliance's response to COVID-19.

MEDIA ACCESS AND COVERAGE

2. Media representatives will NOT have physical access to NATO HQ to cover the ministerial meeting. Precautionary measures are in place at NATO Headquarters to limit the further spread of the COVID-19 virus, including restricted access to visitors, media and non-essential staff. These rules follow limitations on the movement imposed by the Belgian Government since 18 March.
3. NATO will facilitate remote media coverage as follows:
   • Secretary General’s press conferences will be broadcast live on the NATO website (www.nato.int), as well as on social platforms Twitter and Facebook, and made available live via satellite (worldfeed). After each event, the videos will be available for free download from the NATO Multimedia Portal (www.natomultimedia.tv).
   • Pictures taken by NATO photographers will be made available on the NATO website.
4. NATO is offering media representatives the option to ask questions remotely to the NATO Secretary General during the Q&A sessions of both his press conferences. Media representatives wishing to do so are kindly requested to register at
   https://NATODefMin-Apr2020.eventbrite.com by no later than Monday 13 April 2020 at 12:00 noon (Brussels time). 

PROGRAMME AND INTERACTION WITH MEDIA

5. A pre-ministerial online press conference by the Secretary General’s will take place on Tuesday 14 April 2020 at 11:00.
6. The meeting of NATO defence ministers will start on Wednesday 15 April 2020 at 15:00.
7.  An online press conference by the NATO Secretary General will take place late afternoon after the meeting. 
8. The full media programme and information on the audio-visual products available will be published closer to the event on the dedicated page on the NATO website.
9. Information about individual ministers’ media programmes should be sought directly from the national delegation(s) concerned. A list of NATO delegation press officers is available from the Press & Media Section.

CONTACT POINTS