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NATO ministers hold a meeting

19 February 2009 15:29 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanovâ€“APA. Defense ministers of NATO member and partner countries gathered on Thursday in Krakow, Poland for two-day meeting. Defense Minister of Azerbaijan General-Colonel Safar Abiyev is also attending the meeting, APA reports. The ministers are focusing on a review of the alliance’s operations in Afghanistan, the agenda of the next summit of NATO heads of state and government, which is scheduled for April 3-4, situation in the South Caucasus, anti-pirate operations on the coasts of Somalia, the allianceâ€™s operations in other regions as well. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the Westâ€™s priority must be to make Afghanistan stable enough so it is not a breeding ground for international terrorism. De Hoop Scheffer said Pakistan is working hard to crack down on the use of its tribal areas as a sanctuary for insurgents. He said NATO should â€œsee Pakistan as part of a solution and not always qualify Pakistan as part of the problem.â€
NATO-Ukraine and NATO-Georgia commissions will gather on February 20 within the framework of Krakow meeting. Ukraineâ€™s national program for integration into NATO and Georgiaâ€™s post-August defense reforms, its priorities and national security strategy will be focused during the meetings.