North Atlantic Treaty Organization
January 20, 2014
NATO Secretary General discusses ways to strengthen ties with Iraqi Foreign Minister
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen held talks with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Monday (20 January 2014) to discuss ways to further strengthen relations between the Alliance and Iraq.
The Secretary General expressed condolences for the lives lost in the recent wave of violence and called on all sides in Iraq to work towards unity in view of the upcoming elections. The Secretary General said that Allies stand ready to support Iraq and are strongly committed to partnership and cooperation with Iraq in the fight against terrorism. Mr. Fogh Rasmussen and the Iraqi foreign minister agreed to explore how the partnership between NATO and Iraq can be further developed in terms of practical cooperation and political dialogue.
NATO has an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme with Iraq dating from 2012. The programme provides the basis for political dialogue and for training cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism, crisis management and critical energy infrastructure protection.
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