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NATO chief meets with EU defense ministers on security talks

Xinhua, April 27, 2017 Adjust font size:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met Thursday in Malta with EU defense ministers for talks on strengthening NATO-EU cooperation and European defense, NATO said in a press release.

The two-day meeting in Valletta is the first-ever visit of a NATO chief to Malta, the country that currently holds the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU.

Ahead of the meeting, Stoltenberg stressed that NATO was working more closely with the EU on issues such as cyber defense, hybrid challenges, exercises and maritime security.

"We agreed on 42 concrete measures in December last year. And we would like to step up and continue that cooperation," Stoltenberg told media, according to the NATO website.

Stoltenberg said the importance of NATO-EU cooperation could be seen "just off Malta's coast," where NATO's maritime operation, Sea Guardian, is providing support to the EU's anti-migrant smuggling mission Operation Sophia.

He added that currently there are four NATO ships, three NATO maritime patrol aircraft, and some other assets involved.

"We are also discussing what more we can do in Libya," Stoltenberg said. Endit