The Minister of Defence Anu Anguelov took part in a Joint Meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Defence in Brussels on 18 April 2012 to prepare the forthcoming NATO Summit in Chicago.

In the first meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) in Ministers of Defence format the Ministers discussed the package of defence measures for the Chicago Summit, as well as the progress made on the NATO’s missile defence system.

The package of defence measures for the Chicago Summit lays the foundations for the Alliance’s future forces to 2020, based on the concept of Smart Defence and the Connected Forces Initiative. The implementation of the measures implies a strong commitment of NATO member states to prioritization, cooperation and common acquisition of modern capabilities the Alliance needs for the coming decade and beyond.

Minister Anguelov stressed the importance of the package of defence measures, which is expected to be approved in Chicago, adding that the Chicago Defence Declaration should give an adequate response to the new challenges in order to make sure that the Alliance can acquire for the next decade the capabilities it needs for the fulfilment of its core missions and tasks. Minister Anguelov welcomed the progressed made in the preparations to declaring in Chicago the Interim NATO Ballistic Missile Defence Capability.

In a joint session Defence and Foreign Ministers discussed how to make sure that the transition to full Afghan security responsibility succeeds, and how to offer continued support to the Afghans after 2014 once it is completed.