Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council meets at Defence Ministers level
At their meeting in Brussels today, Defence Ministers looked ahead on how to further the potential of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) as an essential forum of transtlantic dialogue. They also had an opportunity to share ideas on how to improve the mechanisms developed in the framework of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Programme.
Allies reiterated their commitment to support efforts aimed at enhancing military interoperability with Partners and to further improve the tools developed to facilitate practical cooperation, including NATO’s continued assistance to defence reforms in many Partner countries. Ministers agreed that ensuring that our forces are interoperable and have the right capabilities is essential to our common success.
Allies noted the important and very much appreciated contributions of Partners to NATO-led operations. Currently, ten Partnership for Peace nations participate in NATO-led operations and missions from the Balkans to Afghanistan, contributing some 2.700 personnel.
Finally, ministers had the opportunity to welcome Malta, participating for the first time in a meeting of NATO Defence Ministers since it joined PfP last year.