Members of Parliament from Tunisia visit NATO Headquarters 

On 31 October 2008, the NATO Public Diplomacy Division organized a visit to NATO HQ of high-level members of the Tunisian Parliament.  The delegation was headed by Mr. Salah Tabarki, President of the Political Affairs and External Relations Commission.

NATO Secretary General visits the Republic of Moldova

The NATO Secretary General visited the Moldovan capital Chisinau and met with President Vladimir Voronin. They discussed cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and NATO in the framework of the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) and other issues of common interest for NATO and the Republic of Moldova.

ePRIME training seminar in Brussels

ePRIME is NATO partnerships' online management tool used for developing and reviewing their respective work plans and programmes. A two-day training session open to all NATO and Partner nations as well as NATO bodies will take place on 28 and 29 October in Brussels at the Belgian Royal Military Academy.

NATO and EU representatives discuss security issues

The North Atlantic Council (NAC) and the European Union’s Political and Security Committee (PSC) met at NATO Headquarters on 27 October to discuss the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Operation Allied Provider has begun escort duties

The NATO Task Group of Operation Allied Provider has begun escort duties and established a naval presence off the coast of Somalia.

More ...

NATO Secretary General visits United States

The Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer visited Washington on Friday 24 October 2008.

NATO Naval Task Group en route to escort duties off Somali coast

Seven ships, from six NATO navies, transit the Suez Canal today, on their way to conduct both anti-piracy duties and visit NATO partner nations in the Gulf region.

NATO Secretary General visits United Kingdom

The Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, visited London on Thursday 23 October 2008. During his visit, the Secretary General met the Prime Minister, Mr. Gordon Brown and the Secretary of State for Defence Mr. John Hutton.

Military Committee concludes its visit to Afghanistan

Military Representatives from the 26 NATO nations and from the non-NATO Troop-Contributing Nations to ISAF were updated on NATO’s operation and the current evolution of the security situation in Afghanistan.

Deputy Secretary General underlines the need for comprehensive approach

A “comprehensive approach to today’s risks and threats” is a key characteristic of NATO today, the Alliance's Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero said during a keynote address at the Forum on Euro-Atlantic Security in Krakow, Poland.

Car-bombs detectors now fully deployed in Afghanistan

A high tech system checking cars and trucks for explosives is now operational at Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, twelve weeks ahead of schedule. The project is part of a series of technologies being deployed by the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A) to counter the threat posed by improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.

NATO R&T Day addresses “future technology”

The NATO Research and Technology Organization (RTO) hosts its first ever R&T Day from 21 to 23 October at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Created in 1998, the organization marks its tenth anniversary with an exhibition and a symposium highlighting its commitment to mutual defence and scientific development.

CNAD advances on key capability requirements

National Armaments Directors from the 26 NATO member countries, invitees from Albania and Croatia, as well as 11 Partnership for Peace nations met at NATO Headquarters for the biannual Conference of National Armament Directors (CNAD). The CNAD focused its attention on meeting capability requirements for NATO operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo and in the Mediterranean.

Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) workshop on "Exchange of Experience on Security Aspects of Energy Infrastructure"

NATO and Qatar co-organised a Workshop on “Exchange of Experience on Security Aspects of Energy Infrastructure” that took place in Doha on 19-20 October. It was the first NATO event in the ICI framework to focus on energy security in the Gulf region. 

Statement by the NATO Secretary General on the presidential elections in Azerbaijan

I welcome reports from the international election observers from OSCE, Council of Europe and the European Parliament indicating progress in the conduct of Azerbaijan’s presidential elections on 15 October 2008.

NATO celebrates World Standards Day

On 17 October, the Director of the NATO Standardization Agency, Admiral Juan A. Moreno, will host a celebration of World Standards Day, inviting representatives from NATO, its member countries and the civilian standardization community, whose work contributes towards interoperability in the military arena. 

More ...

Standing NATO Maritime Group transits Suez Canal en-route to anti-piracy duties

Seven ships, from six NATO navies, transit the Suez Canal today, on their way to conduct both anti-piracy duties and visit NATO partner nations in the Gulf region.

Multiple Futures focus of upcoming SACT Seminar

Alliance leaders, including the Secretary General, the North Atlantic Council and the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 15 and 16 October for the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) seminar. The seminar provides a platform for strategic debate about the long term security challenges, risks and threats facing the European and North American populations.

Military Committee visits AWACS base

The Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola and Committee Representatives from all 26 NATO nations visited the Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany on 13 October. The visit provided the Committee with a closer look at NATO AWACS operations and updated information about a variety of issues that impact the personnel and mission of the NATO Early Warning and Control Force.

Iraqi parliamentarians at NATO HQ

On Monday, 13 October 2008, a group of high-ranking parliamentarians from Iraq visited NATO. As part of the consultations held in Brussels Iraqi politicians from the Security and Defence of the Iraqi Council of Representatives had an opportunity to discuss current co-operation between Iraq and NATO with the Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Senior journalists from Kuwait visit NATO

On 13 October 2008 the NATO Public Diplomacy Division organized a visit to NATO Headquarters of  senior journalists  from Kuwait.

Third NATO Afghan Student Forum

NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division is organizing, for the third consecutive year, the NATO Afghan Student Forum, a gathering of youth from Afghanistan and neighbouring countries together with students from NATO member countries. The programme includes several days of lectures from academics, international and NATO experts, as well as representatives from the French armed forces.

NATO running festival in Budapest

NATO Public Diplomacy Division (PDD), together with the Hungarian Government and non-governmental organizations, organized the third NATO Partnership Running Festival in Budapest, Hungary, on 12 October. The festival took place shortly after the informal meeting of  NATO Defence Ministers, and was part of a series of communication events highlighting NATO’s role in the region.

NATO steps up counter-narcotics efforts in Afghanistan

Based on the request of the Afghan government, the Alliance will look at ways to enhance its contributions in the fight against narcotics, said NATO Secretary General at a press conference in Budapest, Hungary, on 10 October.

NATO-Georgia Commission meets at Defence Ministers level in Budapest

The NATO-Georgia Commission (NGC) met today for the first time at Ministerial level since it was created. During the meeting, Defence Ministers talked about the Alliance’s assistance to Georgia in recovering from the recent conflict.

NATO Defence Ministers discuss Alliance transformation in Budapest

NATO Defence Ministers discussed in Budapest issues related to the Alliance’s ongoing transformation and to the range of key enablers needed for multinational operations.

Focus on NATO's operations in Budapest

In the first day of their meeting, NATO Defence Ministers reviewed progress on NATO’s operations and looked at the challenges for the months ahead.

Ceremony marks step forward in Strategic Airlift

The NATO Secretary General and Ministers of Defence celebrated in Budapest an important milestone for the Alliance’s Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) programme.

Defence Ministers meeting in Budapest

NATO’s ongoing operations and the Alliance's transformation agenda will be the focus of informal discussions between Defence Ministers in Budapest, Hungary, on 9 and 10 October.

NATO and Partners contribute to comprehensive approach

The NATO Defense College organizes its 17th Partnership for Peace (PfP) international research seminar with the support of the Swedish National Defence College and the Swedish Armed Forces. The event takes place from 8 to 10 October in Stockholm, Sweden.

Multimedia exhibition explains the Alliance in Budapest

Bracketing an informal meeting of NATO defence ministers hosted by Hungary on 9 and 10 October, NATO's interactive exhibition – “Securing our future” – was on show for 12 days to the public in the centre of Budapest.

Ukraine signs cross-border transport agreement

The Ukrainian Minister for Emergencies, Volodymyr Shandra, signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the Facilitation of Vital Cross-Border Transport at NATO Headquarters on 6 October.

Secretary General attends World Policy Conference

NATO Secretary General, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, took part in the first edition of the World Policy Conference in Evian, France, on 6 October.

More ...

Statement by the Secretary General on the PKK attack in Turkey

On behalf of NATO, I strongly condemn the attack in south-east Turkey in which 15 Turkish soldiers are reported to have been killed.

New center of excellence opens in Germany

The Confined and Shallow Waters Centre of Excellence has been officially established with the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding at the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Headquarters on 3 October. The centre located in Kiel, Germany, works on concepts for the planning and conduct of joint operations in confined and shallow waters.

Armenia hosts seminar on energy security

A seminar on energy security was organized under the auspices of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on 2 and 3 October. The event was attended by 65 participants from 12 countries and experts from international institutions and research establishments.

President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia¹ visits NATO

The President of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia1, Mr. Branko Crvenkovski, visited the NATO Headquarters on Thursday, 2 October 2008 and met with the Secretary General, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

Strategic Airlift Capability moves to implementation

This week, the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) took a big step forward after the 12 participating nations completed signature of the SAC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

More ...

Serbia signs PfP security agreement with NATO

The Minister of Defence of Serbia, Mr. Dragan Šutanovac, and the NATO Secretary General signed today at NATO Headquarters a Partnership for Peace (PfP) Security Agreement, a standard document for PfP nations that allows for exchange of classified information with the Alliance.

NATO industry day kicks off in Brussels

Alliance leaders, including the Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), Gen. James N. Mattis, participated in the NATO Industry Day held in Brussels on 1 October. The annual conference aims at improving collaboration between international defence industries, and highlight their role in bringing about NATO transformation.