NATO meeting begins in Turkey

The head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Friday that NATO's defense ministers had agreed on a package that would provide support to NATO soldiers in the areas they required.

The informal meeting of NATO defense ministers began at Istanbul Congress Center on Friday.

"North Atlantic Council" session is being held on the sidelines of the informal meeting chaired by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and hosted by Turkish National Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul in Istanbul.

Speaking at the opening, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said, "officials agreed during the gathering on a package that would support NATO troops in their service areas," pointing to yesterday's working dinner with NATO's defense ministers.

Commenting on the issues to be discussed during the informal meeting of ministers as well, Rasmussen said that Kosovo would be on high on agenda.

Rasmussen said a remarkable progress had been made on such issue since last year, adding that the number of soldiers deployed within the body of Kosovo Force (KFOR) dropped to 10,000 and the force gained a more flexible structure.

Representatives from 28 allied countries including U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates are attending the meeting.

/World Bulletin/