Deputy Defence Minister attends EU Ministerial in Athens

The meeting is the first formal convening of EU defence ministers since the European Council meeting held in Brussels in December 2013 in the format of heads of state and governement, which addressed defence and security.
The agenda includes the discussion on the conclusions of the European Council from December 2013, the Common Security and Defence Policy, the support provided to partner countries and organisations related to capacity building, the political framework for systemtic long-term defence co-operation and on enhanced co-operation in various projects.

In the second part the ministers will discuss the ongoing EU operations, following the briefing by their respective commanders, with the focus on the EU Training Mission in Somalia, aimed at stabilisation of the situation in the country in the wake of decades of internal conflicts and instabilities of government administration structures, leaving Somalia a vulnerable spot, with serious security implications both regionally and globally. 
The meeting will conclude with discussion on the situation in the Central African Republic and the preparations for the EUFOR CAR, aimed at creating the conditions for conflict resolution and stabilised situation in the country.
The ministers will be joined by the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the UN Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herve Ladsous.