Eng. / Fr.
NATO and its Partner countries hold regular consultations on a wide range of issues. Their forces exercise together and serve alongside each other in NATO-led operations. And they are working together against terrorism.
They also cooperate in areas such as defence reform, countering the proliferation of weapons, curbing the threat posed by landmines and stockpiled munitions, disaster preparedness, and scientific research.
Through the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, NATO and Partner countries engage in regular consultations on a wide-rage of security and defence-related issues.
These range from general political discussions, for example on crisis-response missions and regional issues and tensions, to more technical exchanges on issues such defence reform, budgeting and planning.
Partner countries have made and continue to make signficant contributions to the Alliance ’s operations and missions, from the Balkans to Afghanistan, Iraq and Darfur .
In order to ensure that partner forces are capable of participating actively in NATO-led operations, they regularly take part in NATO exercises and training programmes.
With the end of the Cold War, mass armies and huge stockpiles of weapons and munitions were no longer needed. However, carrying out defence reforms is neither cheap nor easy.
One of the most important contributions of NATO’s cooperation with Partner countries are programmes to share expertise and provide assistance in tackling the extensive problems of defence reform, as well as managing its economic and social consequences.
A key priority is to promote the development of effective defence institutions that are under civilian and democratic control.
Meeting at very short notice a day after the September 11 2001 attacks against the United States, ambassadors from NATO and Partner countries unconditionally condemned the attacks and pledged to undertake all efforts to combat the scourge of terrorism.
At the 2002 Prague Summit, NATO and its Partners launched a Partnership Action Plan against Terrorism. This is leading to improved intelligence-sharing and cooperation in areas such as border security, terrorism-related training and exercises, and the development of capabilities for defence against terrorist attack or for dealing with the consequences of such an attack.
Through consultations with its Partner countries, the Alliance seeks to increase common understanding and information-sharing on proliferation-related issues. Several seminars and workshops have looked at specific problems.
Subjects have included in-depth discussions on “Anthrax – lessons learned” which identified some of the key contingency planning points to emerge from the experience of autumn 2001 in the United States and elsewhere. Another topic has been problems associated with environmental industrial hazards and other medical-operational challenges.
The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council has set up an Ad Hoc Working Group on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Mine Action to provide a forum for exchanging information on how best to control the transfer of such weapons, for example, through national export controls and enforcement mechanisms.
In addition, NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme promotes training in stockpile management and secure storage, disposal and destruction of surplus stocks, as well as weapons collection and destruction during peacekeeping operations. In 2000, a special Trust Fund was established to support the destruction of anti-personnel landmines, surplus munitions and small arms and light weapons.
In order to ensure an effective international response to natural or man-made disasters, NATO and Partner Countries have developed and continue to refine procedures for joint disaster response operations.
These are regularly rehearsed in exercises and at training seminars. Already on a number of occasions NATO and Partner countries have worked together to rescue, protect and bring relief to victims of disasters.
Two distinct NATO programmes bring together scientists and experts from NATO and Partner countries on a regular basis to work on problems of common concern.
The NATO Security through Science programme concentrates its support for collaboration on research topics related to defence against terrorism or countering other threats to security. The programme of the Committee on the Challenges of Modern Society deals with problems of the environment and society by bringing together national agencies to collaborate on short and long-term studies in these areas.
