Coronavirus response: NATO Foreign Ministers to address COVID-19 crisis
NATO Foreign Ministers will meet via secure video conference for the first time on Thursday (2 April 2020), with the COVID-19 crisis at the top of the agenda. They will assess further measures NATO and Allies can take to enhance the collective fight against the virus.
Allies continue to stand together and support each other in the pandemic, through different NATO arrangements, as well as bilaterally. NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) has helped facilitate medical aid to Allies, Allied airlift capabilities have delivered hundreds of thousands of tons of medical equipment, and Allied armed forces are playing an essential role in the civilian response to COVID-19. Ministers will consider what more can be done, including how to use NATO military capabilities and structures even more effectively to support national efforts. NATO’s ability to conduct military operations has not been undermined by the pandemic, and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Tod D. Wolters, will provide an update on military preparedness.
Ministers will also take decisions to step up NATO’s training mission in Iraq, and discuss how to strengthen NATO’s partnerships across the Middle East and North Africa. Ministers will discuss their commitment to long-term peace and stability in Afghanistan, and are set to agree further measures to support NATO partners Ukraine and Georgia.
This meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers will be the first since the Republic of North Macedonia became a full member of the Alliance on 27 March 2020.