NATO Military Committee Conference held in Budapest

The weekend meeting of NATO’s Military Committee, the organization’s top decision-making body, was held in Budapest on Saturday, with a focus on topical issues such as the Middle East and North Africa, including Syria.

Committee Chair, General Knud Bartels, said at a joint press conference that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss issues important to the military authorities of the members and to reach consensus on realistic measures. Issues of importance he said, include readiness to defend Turkey in keeping with a decision taken a year ago, given that Turkey shares a border with Syria. Along this line, NATO is closely monitoring events along that border.

Among other top issues is Afghanistan, where NATO is in the process of transferring operations to the Afghan national security forces. Bartels said that the transfer was going well and the national forces were now conducting complex operations throughout the country. NATO will, however, continue to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces and no final decision on withdrawal has yet been made, he said.
Speaking about Kosovo, Bartels acknowledged progress towards security and stability, saying that the NATO mission in Kosovo, known as KFOR, was working to assist local institutions in taking over operations although it remained KFOR’s responsibility to ensure a safe and secure environment for all people. The size of KFOR will gradually be reduced when conditions allow it, he added.