NATO ministers discuss Middle East, Balkans

Source: Tanjug

BRUSSELS -- NATO foreign ministers will begin a two-day meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, during which they will discuss the Western Balkans and other topics.

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Ministers from 28 member countries, including Hillary Clinton - attending for the last time as the U.S. secretary of state, will focus primarily on the Middle East, Africa and relations with Russia, but will also touch on the deepening of cooperation with Western Balkan countries.
Ahead of the meeting, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said the first session would focus on NATO’s partnerships and how to make use of their full potential, including in the Western Balkans.

A smaller group of ministers will hold an informal mini-summit dedicated to Kosovo on Wednesday, Tanjug learned from diplomatic sources in Brussels.

The meeting on Kosovo and the role of KFOR was requested by Germany, said a diplomat who wanted to stay anonymous, adding that only countries with a sizeable military presence in Kosovo would be involved. The list includes Germany, France, Italy, the United States and Turkey.

Kosovo is not on the official agenda, but group meetings on the sidelines are nothing unusual for events like this, said Tanjug's source.