Press Statement 13 Oct. 2004

Press guidelines for the informal meeting of Defence ministers Events 13-14 Oct. 2004 Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers The Defence Ministers and Representatives of the Alliance met informally in Poiana Brasov, Romania, on 13 and 14 October to discuss matters of common interest and concern to the Alliance. The Defence Ministers took stock in particular of the transformation of Alliance military capabilities and ongoing operations. With respect to the first set of issues, the Ministers reviewed the status of efforts under way to make their forces more available, usable and sustainable. Regarding the second, the Ministers discussed current Alliance operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans as well as NATO’s assistance in training Iraq’s security forces. On 14 October, Allied Ministers and the Defence Minister of the Russian Federation, Sergei Ivanov, will meet in an informal session of the NATO-Russia Council to review NATO-Russia cooperation, especially in the struggle against terrorism, and to discuss the international situation. The Ministers expressed their thanks to their Romanian colleague, Minister Ioan Pascu, for hosting the meeting. Tel: Fax: +32 (0)2 707 50 41 +32 (0)2 707 50 57 B-1110 Brussels/Bruxelles http://www.nato.int press@hq.nato.int