NATO chiefs of staff discuss defence policy in Sofia

14/09/2008

SOFIA, Bulgaria -- NATO's Military Committee gathered in Sofia on Friday (September 12th) for a three-day conference. Chiefs of staff from NATO's 26 member countries are discussing the alliance's common defence policy in the wake of the Georgian-Russian conflict. "We have to prepare the alliance to meet the security challenges of the future," the head of NATO's military committee, Italian Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, said at the opening of the talks. On the conference's agenda are the situation in Georgia, developments within the Georgian army in relation to the conflict with Russia, and NATO's peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan and Kosovo. (BTA, BNR, Focus, AFP - 13/09/08)