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Secretary General to Chair High-Level NATO-Ukraine Consultations

The Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Jaap the Hoop Scheffer, will travel to the Estonian capital Tallinn on 12 November 2008, to chair the sixth Informal High-Level NATO-Ukraine Consultations with participation of Defence Ministers and other senior officials from Ukraine and NATO countries. The conference is co-organised by NATO and the International Centre for Defence Studies.

Previous meetings in this format were held in Berlin (2002), Washington D.C. (2003), Warsaw (2004), Vilnius (2005) and Sintra (2006).

Participants will exchange views on the current security environment in the Euro-Atlantic area, and focus on Ukraine's capabilities to meet existing security challenges and ability to contribute to NATO-led operations. They will also take stock of Ukraine's progress in transforming its national security structures and practices.

H.E. Mr. Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the President of the Republic of Estonia will deliver keynote speech at the beginning of the meeting.

Prior to the NATO-Ukraine Consultations the Secretary General will hold bilateral talks in Tallinn with Estonian leadership - he will meet, inter alia, with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.

MEDIA PROGRAMME
(Events open to the press)

13 November 2008

0830-0855 Installation of photo/film/TV coverage teams in the conference of Hotel Radisson SAS

0900-0940 Opening session (remarks by the Secretary General, Minister of Defence of Estonia, Minister of Defence of Ukraine, Director of the International Centre for Defence Studies followed by a keynote speech by President Ilves)

1250-1300 Family photo

1315-1345 Press conference by the Secretary General, Ukrainian Defence Minister and Estonian Defence Minister

For further information on the High-Level Consultations please contact Mr. Robert Pszczel, NATO Press Service, tel. +32 2 7071430

Source: NATO