ATA Annual Assembly in Bled, Slovenia
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The annual assembly of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) took place in Bled, Slovenia between 3 and 6 October, and was addressed by, among others, Slovene President Milan Kucan and NATO Deputy Secretary General Alessandro Minuto Rizzo.
This meeting, which brings together members of voluntary organisations working to promote Alliance objectives from both NATO (ATA members) and Partner countries (ATA associate members), was entitled The New NATO - Trends, Challenges, Hopes and Opportunities and hosted by the Atlantic Council of Slovenia.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September, new security challenges and ways to combat international terrorism dominated discussions. In his speech, Deputy Secretary General Minuto Rizzo explained why NATO had invoked Article 5, the commitment to collective defence, and how both Allies and Partners were cooperating to combat the scourge of terrorism. He also outlined a strategy for meeting the security challenges of the 21st century and, in doing so, reaffirmed the Alliance's commitment to its current agenda, including NATO enlargement.