Defence Ministers Expected to Agree on Enhanced NATO Presence in East

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference at Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, 09 February 2016. Photo: EPA

At their meeting scheduled to take place in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, defence ministers of the member countries of NATO are expected to agree on enhancing the presence of the Alliance in the east.

At a media briefing on Tuesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg revealed some of the topics to be discussed during the meeting.

Stoltenberg said that the ministers will take steps to reinforce the collective defence and deterrence capabilities of NATO, with the participants expected to agree on enhanced forward presence in the eastern part of the Alliance.

The ministers are also expected to decide on improving NATO's response to hybrid attacks and accelerating its decision-making processes.

Stoltenberg also highlighted the commitment of the Alliance to assist Georgia in moving forward to NATO membership.

At a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Commission, ministers are to review the Alliance's substantial package of support to Georgia and assess the country's progress on political and security reforms.

Stoltenberg outlined NATO's support for all efforts to negotiate ceasefire and achieve political solution to the conflict in Syria.

He revealed that Allies are considering the US request for NATO AWACS surveillance planes to backfill national capabilities, which will increase the anti-IS coalition's ability to conduct air strikes.

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