NATO Secretary General says Ukraine crisis amplifies need to boost defence cooperation

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on the 15 April 2014 that the Ukraine crisis has amplified the need to strengthen cooperation between NATO, the European Union and with close partners. 'We need to train and exercise more together, for instance the NATO Response Force and the EU Battlegroups, so that we stand ready for whatever the future may bring,' the Secretary General said arriving for EU Defence Ministers talks in Luxembourg.

On the 16 April 2014 there was a meeting of the North Atlantic Council to discuss the Ukraine crisis. The Council agreed on a package of further military measures to reinforce collective defence and demonstrate the strength of Allied solidarity.

• Primary Source

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NATO: Newsroom: Events: Situation in Ukraine; A chronology of events http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/events_107755.htm

http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_37768.htm http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_37768.htm

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Deutsche Welle, 16.04.14: NATO to deploy more forces in eastern Europe amid unrest in Ukraine http://dw.de/p/1BjOV

The Guardian, 16.04.14: Nato to step up presence near Russian borders http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/16/nato-step-up-presence-russian-borders-eastern-europe

Euro|Topics, 17.04.14: Nato boosts its presence in Eastern Europe http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/archiv_dossier/DOSSIER142079-Nato-boosts-its-presence-in-Eastern-Europe

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