BRUSSELS: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at a meeting of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in Brussels approved a number of measures to strengthen security in Eastern Europe in connection with the growing crisis in Ukraine.
“We have just taken further measures to respond to the crisis in Ukraine,” the NATO Secretary General Anders Rasmussen told media following the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. “We agree that a political solution is the only way forward.”
The NATO secretary general said that the alliance fully supports the Geneva talks and all the efforts of the international community to find a political solution, which fulfils the democratic aspirations of the entire Ukrainian people and respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
“We call on Russia to be part of the solution. To stop destabilising Ukraine, pull back its troops from the borders and make clear it doesn’t support the violent actions of well armed militias of pro-Russian separatists,” Rasmussen said.
Rasmussen said that the NATO’s core task is to protect and defend our Allies.
“We have already taken a series of steps, including enhancing our Air Policing mission in the Baltic States, and AWACS surveillance flights over Poland and Romania,” he said.
“Today, we agreed on a package of further military measures to reinforce our collective defence and demonstrate the strength of Allied solidarity.”
“We will have more planes in the air, more ships on the water, and more readiness on the land.”
For example, he said, air policing aircraft will fly more sorties over the Baltic region. Allied ships will deploy to the Baltic Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean and elsewhere, as required.
The NATO secretary general further said that military staff from Allied nations will deploy to enhance our preparedness, training and exercises. He said that our defence plans will be reviewed and reinforced.
“We will start to implement these measures straight away. More will follow, if needed, in the weeks and months to come,” he added.
