Americas

Americas

Obama, NATO chief to discuss summit preparations

08 May 2012 03:21 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the White House on Wednesday over the preparations of the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago, the White House said on Monday.

In their Oval Office meetings, the two leaders will discuss " final preparations" for the summit slated for May 20-21, the White House said in a brief statement.

Afghanistan, "smart defense" initiatives and NATO’s partnerships, as the three major items, are expected to dominate the summit, the first ever held on U.S. soil in more than 13 years.

NATO leaders will finalize a transition plan in Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and establish an enduring political and financial commitment to the South Asian nation after 2015.

As envisioned at the last NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal in November 2010, Afghan forces are expected to take full control of the security when American and NATO combat troops withdraw from Afghanistan at the end of 2014.

Obama signed a strategic partnership agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai last week in an unannounced visit to the country. The pact will govern relations with Kabul following the withdrawal.