Mon Sep 1, 2014 8:23 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 1, 2014
Opening Remarks by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Press Conference held at Residence Palace, Brussels
[Edited by RR]
Good afternoon.
Our Summit in Wales this week will take place in a changed world. It will address the challenges of a changed world. And so I expect it to be a crucial summit in NATO’s history.
This is a time of multiple crises on several fronts. To the east, Russia is intervening overtly in Ukraine. To the south, we see growing instability, with fragile states, the rise of extremism, and sectarian strife.
...
NATO's greatest responsibility remains to protect and defend our populations and our territories. We also need the capacity to manage crises. And to work with partners to help build stability.
So at the Summit, we will ensure that the Alliance remains ready, able and willing to defend all Allies against any attack.
We will agree a Readiness Action Plan to make NATO more agile than ever.
The Readiness Action Plan responds to Russia’s aggressive behavior – but it equips the Alliance to respond to all security challenges, wherever they may arise.
We already have a NATO Response Force. This is a multinational force, which brings together land, air, maritime and special operation forces. It can be deployed anywhere in the world, for collective defence or crisis management.
We will now significantly enhance the responsiveness of our NATO Response Force. We will develop what I would call a spearhead within our Response Force – a very high readiness force able to deploy at very short notice. This spearhead would be provided by Allies in rotation, and could include several thousand troops, ready to respond where needed with air, sea and Special Forces support.
This will require reception facilities on NATO territory and pre-positioned equipment and supplies, command and control and logistics experts. So this force can travel light, but strike hard if needed.
We will also look at possible upgrades to national infrastructure. That could include airfields and ports to support reinforcements, if the need arises.
And we will improve our early warning through an upgrade of our intelligence gathering and sharing. We will update our defence plans; and enhance our training schedule with more exercises, of more types, in more places, more often.
The Readiness Action Plan will ensure that we have the right forces and the right equipment in the right place, at the right time. That also means more visible NATO presence in the East for as long as required. And it will make NATO fitter, faster and more flexible to adjust to all kinds of security challenges.
...And we will do what it takes to defend our Allies.
But readiness requires resources.
So in Wales, I expect a commitment to increase defence investments as our economies recover. To spend the right amount of money on the right things – deployable forces, well trained and with modern equipment. So that we share the responsibility of collective defence as we share the benefits.
At the summit, we will meet with President Poroshenko of Ukraine and make clear our support for Ukraine, as it is confronted by Russia’s aggression. We will discuss his reform priorities. And take concrete steps to help Ukraine.
The crises we face reach far beyond our borders. That is why our approach to security reaches beyond our borders too.
We have an unparalleled network of partners around the world. In Afghanistan we built the largest coalition in recent history, with one quarter of the world’s nations. And through our operations, we have become better at working together than ever before.
In Wales, we will further improve the way we train, cooperate and consult with our partners. And strengthen and streamline the way we support countries which seek our help to develop their security institutions. So that we can project stability without always projecting large numbers of troops.
We will also prepare a new chapter in our relationship with Afghanistan, as our combat mission draws to a close.
...We have built up capable Afghan forces of 350,000 troops and police...
We have planned a new mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces from next year and it will be launched once we have the legal arrangements in place.
...
So, there is still a lot of work to do.
The security landscape can change rapidly, but I am confident that NATO will go forward from the Wales Summit ready to rise to every challenge.
And with that, I look forward to your questions.
==============================
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==============================
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
September 1, 2014
Opening Remarks by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Press Conference held at Residence Palace, Brussels
[Edited by RR]
Good afternoon.
Our Summit in Wales this week will take place in a changed world. It will address the challenges of a changed world. And so I expect it to be a crucial summit in NATO’s history.
This is a time of multiple crises on several fronts. To the east, Russia is intervening overtly in Ukraine. To the south, we see growing instability, with fragile states, the rise of extremism, and sectarian strife.
...
NATO's greatest responsibility remains to protect and defend our populations and our territories. We also need the capacity to manage crises. And to work with partners to help build stability.
So at the Summit, we will ensure that the Alliance remains ready, able and willing to defend all Allies against any attack.
We will agree a Readiness Action Plan to make NATO more agile than ever.
The Readiness Action Plan responds to Russia’s aggressive behavior – but it equips the Alliance to respond to all security challenges, wherever they may arise.
We already have a NATO Response Force. This is a multinational force, which brings together land, air, maritime and special operation forces. It can be deployed anywhere in the world, for collective defence or crisis management.
We will now significantly enhance the responsiveness of our NATO Response Force. We will develop what I would call a spearhead within our Response Force – a very high readiness force able to deploy at very short notice. This spearhead would be provided by Allies in rotation, and could include several thousand troops, ready to respond where needed with air, sea and Special Forces support.
This will require reception facilities on NATO territory and pre-positioned equipment and supplies, command and control and logistics experts. So this force can travel light, but strike hard if needed.
We will also look at possible upgrades to national infrastructure. That could include airfields and ports to support reinforcements, if the need arises.
And we will improve our early warning through an upgrade of our intelligence gathering and sharing. We will update our defence plans; and enhance our training schedule with more exercises, of more types, in more places, more often.
The Readiness Action Plan will ensure that we have the right forces and the right equipment in the right place, at the right time. That also means more visible NATO presence in the East for as long as required. And it will make NATO fitter, faster and more flexible to adjust to all kinds of security challenges.
...And we will do what it takes to defend our Allies.
But readiness requires resources.
So in Wales, I expect a commitment to increase defence investments as our economies recover. To spend the right amount of money on the right things – deployable forces, well trained and with modern equipment. So that we share the responsibility of collective defence as we share the benefits.
At the summit, we will meet with President Poroshenko of Ukraine and make clear our support for Ukraine, as it is confronted by Russia’s aggression. We will discuss his reform priorities. And take concrete steps to help Ukraine.
The crises we face reach far beyond our borders. That is why our approach to security reaches beyond our borders too.
We have an unparalleled network of partners around the world. In Afghanistan we built the largest coalition in recent history, with one quarter of the world’s nations. And through our operations, we have become better at working together than ever before.
In Wales, we will further improve the way we train, cooperate and consult with our partners. And strengthen and streamline the way we support countries which seek our help to develop their security institutions. So that we can project stability without always projecting large numbers of troops.
We will also prepare a new chapter in our relationship with Afghanistan, as our combat mission draws to a close.
...We have built up capable Afghan forces of 350,000 troops and police...
We have planned a new mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan forces from next year and it will be launched once we have the legal arrangements in place.
...
So, there is still a lot of work to do.
The security landscape can change rapidly, but I am confident that NATO will go forward from the Wales Summit ready to rise to every challenge.
And with that, I look forward to your questions.
==============================
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==============================
Mon Sep 1, 2014 8:31 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/
Ukrinform
September 1, 2014
NATO secretary general pledges support for Ukraine at highest level
KYIV: NATO and Ukraine will discuss at a summit of the alliance the question of further support amid Russia's military aggression.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this on Monday, a Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels reported.
"At the summit, we will meet with President [Petro] Poroshenko of Ukraine and make clear our support for Ukraine, as it is confronted by Russia's aggression," he said.
Rasmussen added that the leaders would discuss Ukraine reform priorities and take concrete steps to help the country.
Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO Ihor Dolhov told Ukrinform that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the highest level of heads of state and government would be held as part of the summit.
==============================
http://en.interfax.com.ua/
Interfax-Ukraine
September 1, 2014
Army will now be a priority for Ukraine - Poroshenko
The Ukrainian Armed Forces will now always be a priority for the state, and the military are rightly becoming the elite of society, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.
"Ukrainian troops now and forever will be the subject of priority attention from the state," he said at events to mark the Day of Knowledge at Kyiv Bohun Military Lyceum on Monday.
Poroshenko said that those who serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces "are rightly regaining the status of the elite of society."
"For the first time since Ukraine's independence Ukrainian military have become the object of love, support and pride of the whole nation. I know that such solidarity is spreading wings, giving confidence and courage," he said.
==============================
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==============================
Ukrinform
September 1, 2014
NATO secretary general pledges support for Ukraine at highest level
KYIV: NATO and Ukraine will discuss at a summit of the alliance the question of further support amid Russia's military aggression.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said this on Monday, a Ukrinform correspondent in Brussels reported.
"At the summit, we will meet with President [Petro] Poroshenko of Ukraine and make clear our support for Ukraine, as it is confronted by Russia's aggression," he said.
Rasmussen added that the leaders would discuss Ukraine reform priorities and take concrete steps to help the country.
Head of Ukraine's Mission to NATO Ihor Dolhov told Ukrinform that a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission at the highest level of heads of state and government would be held as part of the summit.
==============================
http://en.interfax.com.ua/
Interfax-Ukraine
September 1, 2014
Army will now be a priority for Ukraine - Poroshenko
The Ukrainian Armed Forces will now always be a priority for the state, and the military are rightly becoming the elite of society, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.
"Ukrainian troops now and forever will be the subject of priority attention from the state," he said at events to mark the Day of Knowledge at Kyiv Bohun Military Lyceum on Monday.
Poroshenko said that those who serve in the Ukrainian Armed Forces "are rightly regaining the status of the elite of society."
"For the first time since Ukraine's independence Ukrainian military have become the object of love, support and pride of the whole nation. I know that such solidarity is spreading wings, giving confidence and courage," he said.
==============================
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==============================
Mon Sep 1, 2014 8:47 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://www.civil.ge/eng/
Civil Georgia
September 1, 2014
NATO Chief Lays Out Package to 'Bring Georgia Closer' to Alliance
Tbilisi: Package that NATO plans for Tbilisi at the summit in Wales this week will include establishing “a defense capacity building mission” and training center in Georgia, more Georgian participation in NATO exercises and “occasionally” NATO military exercises in Georgia and expanding NATO liaison office in Tbilisi, according to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
At a meeting in June NATO foreign ministers decided that membership action plan (MAP) would not be extended to Georgia at the summit in Wales; instead, NATO foreign ministers agreed to develop a “substantive" package to help the country move further closer to the Alliance.
Asked at a press conference in Brussels on September 1 what that package would be, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen responded that this package “will definitely bring Georgia closer to NATO.”
“Without going into too many details, I can mention some of the headlines,” Rasmussen said.
“We will establish what we call a defense capacity building mission in Georgia with a particular focus on the Ministry of Defense and assist Georgia in continued reforms and modernization of the defense and security sector,” the NATO Secretary General said.
“Next, we will step up our efforts to improve the ability of the Georgian armed forces to work and operate together with NATO forces, including through more Georgian participation in NATO exercises,” he continued.
“Thirdly, occasionally military exercises might also be organized in Georgia in particular with the view to engaging NATO partners in such exercises,” Rasmussen said.
“Fourth, we are also considering the establishment of a military training center in Georgia again with the particular view to engaging NATO partners – that [training center] might also be of regional dimension.”
“And finally, we are also considering an expansion of the NATO liaison office in Tbilisi,” Rasmussen said.
“So all in all you will see very concrete measures that will bring Georgia closer to NATO,” he added.
==============================
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Stop NATO website and articles:
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==============================
Civil Georgia
September 1, 2014
NATO Chief Lays Out Package to 'Bring Georgia Closer' to Alliance
Tbilisi: Package that NATO plans for Tbilisi at the summit in Wales this week will include establishing “a defense capacity building mission” and training center in Georgia, more Georgian participation in NATO exercises and “occasionally” NATO military exercises in Georgia and expanding NATO liaison office in Tbilisi, according to NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
At a meeting in June NATO foreign ministers decided that membership action plan (MAP) would not be extended to Georgia at the summit in Wales; instead, NATO foreign ministers agreed to develop a “substantive" package to help the country move further closer to the Alliance.
Asked at a press conference in Brussels on September 1 what that package would be, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen responded that this package “will definitely bring Georgia closer to NATO.”
“Without going into too many details, I can mention some of the headlines,” Rasmussen said.
“We will establish what we call a defense capacity building mission in Georgia with a particular focus on the Ministry of Defense and assist Georgia in continued reforms and modernization of the defense and security sector,” the NATO Secretary General said.
“Next, we will step up our efforts to improve the ability of the Georgian armed forces to work and operate together with NATO forces, including through more Georgian participation in NATO exercises,” he continued.
“Thirdly, occasionally military exercises might also be organized in Georgia in particular with the view to engaging NATO partners in such exercises,” Rasmussen said.
“Fourth, we are also considering the establishment of a military training center in Georgia again with the particular view to engaging NATO partners – that [training center] might also be of regional dimension.”
“And finally, we are also considering an expansion of the NATO liaison office in Tbilisi,” Rasmussen said.
“So all in all you will see very concrete measures that will bring Georgia closer to NATO,” he added.
==============================
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/
Stop NATO website and articles:
http://rickrozoff.wordpress.
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==============================
Mon Sep 1, 2014 8:55 am (PDT) . Posted by:
"Rick Rozoff" rwrozoff
http://news.xinhuanet.com/
Xinhua
September 1, 2014
Ukrainian conflict escalates into "war": DM
KIEV: Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Geletey said Monday that the conflict in eastern Ukraine between government troops and pro-independence insurgents has escalated into a "war" .
"A great war came at our doorstep, the war, which Europe has not seen since World War II," Geletey wrote on his official Facebook page.
Accusing Russia of beginning a "full-scale invasion" of Ukraine, Geletey announced the end of government's military operation in the east.
"The operation to liberate eastern Ukraine from 'terrorists' is over. We must urgently undertake the defense against Russia," Geletey said.
He blamed Moscow for the escalation of the conflict in Lugansk and Donetsk regions, claiming that Russia "via unofficial channels" has threatened to use "tactical nuclear weapons" against Ukraine.
Geletey estimated that the casualties in the "war" to be numbered in "thousands and even tens of thousands of people" and called for the "consolidation" of the Ukrainian society.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow will not militarily interfere in the ongoing Ukraine crisis, urging the United States and the European Union (EU) to help stop Kiev from using heavy weapons.
Lavrov expressed the hope that the Contact Group for Ukraine, which are meeting in the Belarussian capital of Minsk on Monday, primarily dedicate to "an imminent and unconditional ceasefire."
In mid-April, Ukraine's military launched offensives against insurgents to regain control over the seized cities and towns in eastern part of the country.
The armed conflict has claimed at least 2,500 lives and displaced thousands of people.
Xinhua
September 1, 2014
Ukrainian conflict escalates into "war": DM
KIEV: Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Geletey said Monday that the conflict in eastern Ukraine between government troops and pro-independence insurgents has escalated into a "war" .
"A great war came at our doorstep, the war, which Europe has not seen since World War II," Geletey wrote on his official Facebook page.
Accusing Russia of beginning a "full-scale invasion" of Ukraine, Geletey announced the end of government's military operation in the east.
"The operation to liberate eastern Ukraine from 'terrorists' is over. We must urgently undertake the defense against Russia," Geletey said.
He blamed Moscow for the escalation of the conflict in Lugansk and Donetsk regions, claiming that Russia "via unofficial channels" has threatened to use "tactical nuclear weapons" against Ukraine.
Geletey estimated that the casualties in the "war" to be numbered in "thousands and even tens of thousands of people" and called for the "consolidation" of the Ukrainian society.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow will not militarily interfere in the ongoing Ukraine crisis, urging the United States and the European Union (EU) to help stop Kiev from using heavy weapons.
Lavrov expressed the hope that the Contact Group for Ukraine, which are meeting in the Belarussian capital of Minsk on Monday, primarily dedicate to "an imminent and unconditional ceasefire."
In mid-April, Ukraine's military launched offensives against insurgents to regain control over the seized cities and towns in eastern part of the country.
The armed conflict has claimed at least 2,500 lives and displaced thousands of people.
