CHAIRMAN'S SUMMARY of NATO aspirant countries Chiefs of Defence meeting Riga, 4 - 6 June 2001
The Chiefs of Defence of Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Deputy Chiefs of General Staff of Slovenia and Romania and representative of Croatia, all of them aspiring to join NATO, met in Riga on 4 -6 June 2001. Representatives of the Chiefs of Defence of NATO member states took part in the meeting as observers.
The Chiefs of Defence stressed the importance of practical military preparedness of NATO aspirant countries in the process of preparations for membership in NATO.
The Chiefs of Defence shared their experiences in preparing their military forces for NATO membership. They took note of the experience of the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland during their admission process to NATO.
The Chiefs of Defence stressed the importance of the Membership Action Plan as the main tool for preparation for NATO membership. They underlined that defence reform and Partnership Goals play crucial role in successful implementation of MAP requirements.
The Chiefs of Defence noted the successful Baltic States military cooperation as the effective mechanism of developing interoperability skills.
The Chiefs of Defence recognized the benefits of NATO aspirant countries involvement in peace support operations in Bosnia- Herzegovina and Kosovo and discussed lessons learned of military participation in these operations.
Chiefs of Defence agreed on the value of further exchange of information and experience.
