Warsaw, 12 November 2010 - NATO PA 56th ANNUAL SESSION KICKS OFF IN WARSAW

During the Opening Press Conference hosted by NATO PA President John TANNER (United States ), Jadwiga ZAKRZEWSKA, Head of the Polish Delegation to the NATO PA and David Hobbs, NATO PA Secretary General, Mr Tanner said: “NATO’s mission in Afghanistan continues to be a critical issue for the Assembly.  The members are finalizing reports on the NATO training mission in Afghanistan as well as the efforts to build and improve government at all levels in the country.  Those two points are critical to the overall success of the mission and will enable Afghanistan to eventually stand on its own with less support from the international community.”

“The Assembly will also be considering the role of missile defence in NATO’s strategy, our relationship with Russia, and a range of other issues that are central to this Alliance and expects that some of the reports and resolutions from this meeting will impact the discussion at the NATO summit in Lisbon ”, said Mr Tanner.

This afternoon will feature a meeting of the leaders of the member delegations and of the Russian Federal Assembly in an “at 29” format (NATO-Russia Parliamentary Committee). Professor  Adam ROTFELD, Former Foreign Minister of Poland, Co- Chairman of the Polish-Russian Working Group on Difficult Matters at the Polish Institute of International Affairs and Igor IVANOV, currently professor at Moscow State Institute of International Relations and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, will brief the committee. 

For additional information contact NATO Parliamentary Assembly Press Service, rcalorio@gmail.com, Mobile phone: + 48 66 766 39 66