Member and observer nations of the U.S.-Adriatic Charter, or "A5," conducted a meeting of Defense Ministers via video conference today.
This year's A5 Chair, Bosnia and Herzegovina, hosted the meeting with representatives from Albania, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Slovenia in attendance.
Mr.
Anthony Tata, Performing the Duties of Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, represented the U.S.
Department of Defense.
The purpose of the session was to discuss multilateral security priorities and strengthen NATO's strategic partnerships in Southeast Europe.
The leaders shared lessons learned from the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of regional cooperation to meet new, shared security challenges.
Representatives also discussed strengthening regional security, combatting malign influence in Southeast Europe, and NATO's "Open Door" policy.
All sides reaffirmed their commitment to build upon this year's successes of the A5 as Croatia takes over as the 2021 Chair.
