First day of the Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers which take place over 12-13 February at Brussels, started with a working session dedicated to NATO operations and missions as well as to the force generation process.

In-depth discussion about the evolution of the NATO Mission Iraq - NMI have taken place in the context of the current security situation from the Middle East. At the same time, the defence ministers from the NATO member countries approached subjects referring to ways of increasing the Alliance role in the region, by means of a tighter coordination with the Global Coalition To Defeat Daesh/ISIS, by increasing NMI responsibilities with regard to the local forces' training with a view of consolidating security and stability on long term.

The Allies agreed upon the consolidation of NMI. Thus, in the first stage, certain current training activities conducted in Iraq by the Global Coalition To Defeat ISIS will be taken over. At the same time, the defence ministers agreed on exploring ways of increasing NATO's role in the Middle East and North Africa.

With respect to Afghanistan, the participants expressed their full support in order to facilitate the intra-Afghan talks. The objective of the NATO Resolute Support Mission (RSM) from Afghanistan was restated: consolidation of the Afghan Security Forces so that they can counteract the terrorism and create conditions for a lasting peace. The talks on this subject will continue today, 13 February, in a session dedicated to RSM.

In his allocution, minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca argued in favor of the importance given by Romania to continue its participation in the NATO missions and operations thus, contributing to the Allied effort with respect to the projection of stability. The national commitment to the Allied efforts and the support given to the consolidation of NATO's role in Iraq and the ways of increasing its role in the Middle East and North Africa were also discussed by the dignitaries.

The last series of consultations in the working dinner format, with the participation of EU, Sweden and Finland representatives, focused on intensifying NATO-UE cooperation with respect to the consolidation of the European and trans-Atlantic security. The main threats and common challenges were emphasized , the dignitaries highlighting the role of NATO-EU cooperation in their counteractio..

Also, the invitation of the EU, Sweden and Finland representatives and the consultation with the new High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell were saluted.

The Press Office