The NATO Foreign Ministers meeting runs from 19-20 May in Brussels.NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a Pre-Ministerial news conference on Wednesday,outlining the topics to be discussed and the direction NATO policy on them is taking,and some strategic concepts for its implementation as well.*
Tomorrow we will welcome Montenegro Foreign Minister Dukanovic to sign the Accession Protocol,Mr.Stoltenberg announced in his prepared statement.Following that ceremony,Montenegro will,as of tomorrow,participate in all NATO meetings as an observer,or Invitee.Once all the Allies have ratified the Protocol,Montenegro will become the 29th member of the Alliance.A clear sign that NATO continues to help build stability and security in the Western Balkans.*
We will discuss what NATO can do to support Iraq.We are already training several hundred Iraqi officers in Jordan.We have received a request from Prime Minister al-Abadi to expand our training mission to Iraq itself.And we will consider that request from Prime Minister al-Abadi.*
We have already decided to enhance our forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance.Our military planners have put forward proposals for several battalions in different countries in the region.No decision has been taken on the numbers and locations.But we are now considering the scale and the scope of our presence in the east.*
Our Ministerial meeting will begin exactly fifty days before we meet at our Summit in Warsaw.The decisions we take at this Ministerial meeting will help pave the way to the Summit.At the Summit,we will take the necessary decisions to protect our citizens at home and to project stability beyond our borders.*
Tomorrow is an historic day for the Alliance,for Montenegro and for the Western Balkans,Mr.Stoltenberg said in the Q&A session with reporters.It says that NATO's door is open.It's another step in the successful policy of enlargement of both NATO and the EU,and the enlargement of NATO over many years has contributed to stability,peace and security in Europe.And now Montenegro is going to be part of that.Any sanctions or reactions from Russia will be absolutely unjustified,because it's about respecting the sovereign decision of a sovereign nation,Montenegro,to decide on its own path-and that should be respected by everyone.*
NATO is not contemplating combat operations in Libya,but institution-building.We will continue to discuss how we can help them.*
Some of the proposals from our strategic commanders are for battalions in the Baltic countries.It has to be a multinational presence because it sends a very clear signal that an attack on one Ally will be an attack on the whole Alliance.The importance of this forward presence is not that it's going to be so very big,but that it is a multinational presence sending a very clear signal that we are going to stand united;and the forward presence has to be combined with the increased ability to reinforce if needed,so you have to also understand that the forward presence is linked to the high readiness,the higher responsiveness of our forces,and we have already decided to triple the size of the NATO Response Force-and part of that is the new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),or the Spearhead Force,a brigade-sized force which can deploy on a very short notice.Add to that that we are already investing in infrastructure;in prepositioning equipment;ammunition;and that the US is in the process of quadrupling its funding for the US presence in Europe:so this is a big thing altogether-a forward presence in the eastern part of our Alliance is just one element in a more comprehensive approach.*
We will decide on the future of the Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan beyond 2016,and will also decide on the funding for the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.I think that NATO Allies providing funding is extremely important and we will continue to do so.*
I strongly believe that the Summit of NATO in July will recognise the progress that Georgia is making and will reiterate our strong commitment to provide both strong political support to Georgia;but also to provide practical support,working with Georgia to implement reforms,build institutions and to enhance Georgia's ability to modernise its armed forces.So we will continue to work with Georgia;we will continue to defend Georgia's right to make its own decisions;and we continue to work on reforms and help Georgia moving towards NATO membership.*
I have to tell you about the Minsk Agreement on Eastern Ukraine that of course I am concerned,because after we saw a lull in the fighting last year and the beginning of this year-I think the ceasefire was mostly respected-we have seen gradually an increase in the numbers of violations of the ceasefire,and that is undermining the whole Minsk Agreement because it is based on the ceasefire.So my message is,the ceasefire has to be respected;heavy weapons have to be withdrawn;and the international observers have to have full access to the area so they make sure that the Minsk Agreement is fully implemented.*
I'm really looking forward to the opening of a new NATO Training Centre in Kuwait and I visited the site of the facility.It's a big,big building where we're going to have different kinds of training,capacity-building activities for the region.And I think that's just one example of how we are increasing our cooperaton with the Gulf countries.*
In Turkey,we have positioned Patriot Missile batteries;AWACS aircraft;port visits by NATO ships.NATO member countries have bilateral agreements with Turkey to fly out of Incerlik Air Base.This is a very joint effort of NATO Allies and Turkey in the fight against ISIL and also providing the necessary assurance measures for Turkey,all at the same time,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out to journalists in Brussels,Belgium.
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