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NATO seminar on the challenges of WMD proliferation
More than 100 senior officials representing 42 countries from five continents, as well as NATO and EU representatives, met in Sofia, Bulgaria, to discuss the challenge of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) on 28 and 29 June 2005.
The seminar was hosted by the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants included national representatives from NATO and Partner countries, as well as countries of the Alliance's Mediterranean Dialogue, the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative and the Asia-Pacific region. Distinguished academics from leading European and US universities, and representatives of international non-governmental organisations, including two Nobel Peace Prize Laureate organisations, were also among the speakers.
The seminar explored topics such as the international community’s initiatives to prevent proliferation, the particular challenges of biological agents, the Alliance’s priorities vis-à-vis WMD, the EU strategy against proliferation, as well as the individual contributions to non-proliferation of a number of participating countries. The presentations of the 19 speakers were followed by substantive panel discussions.
This is the second NATO seminar on the challenges of WMD proliferation to be organised under the auspices of the NATO Senior Politico-Military Group on Proliferation. The first was held in 2004 at the NATO Defense College in Rome.
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