29 Sep 2006

NATO transformation in focus at Portorož meeting Event Programme of the meeting Multimedia Audio file of the press conference after the NATO-Russia Council with Defence Ministers in Portorož, Slovenia (MP3/5900kb) On the second day of meetings in Portorož, Slovenia, NATO Defence Ministers addressed the key issues on their transformation agenda. Ministers agreed that the NATO Response Force is an essential tool to take forward NATO’s military modernisation, and an unique and essential capability. There was also discussion of the importance of coordination between the civilian and military efforts in security operations. Finally, many voices were heard stressing the importance of the target of two percent of GDP devoted to defence. NATO-Russia, Georgia Ministers also met with their counterpart from Russia, Sergei Ivanov.  The meeting focused on two main issues: NATO-Russia practical cooperation, which is going well; and the current tensions in Georgia, where information was shared by Minister Ivanov on this bilateral issue between Russia and Georgia. The day prior, Minister focused on NATO’s operations, including Afghanistan and Kosovo. The meeting was the last meeting of Ministers prior to the Summit in Riga, the capital of Latvia, 28-29 November, which will see NATO Heads of State and Government meeting to take forward NATO’s transformation.