NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen arrived in the Irish capital city of Dublin on a two-day official visit on Tuesday, marking the first ever trip to the European Union member-nation by a chief of the western military alliance.
Incidentally, Ireland is not a NATO member-state. The western military alliance's relations with Ireland are conducted through the Partnership for Peace framework, which Ireland joined in 1999. Since then, Ireland has contributed to the NATO-led missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan under United Nations mandates. Besides, Ireland currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency.
NATO and Ireland actively cooperate on humanitarian, rescue, peacekeeping and crisis management and have developed practical cooperation in a range of other areas, as provided for in Ireland's Individual Partnership Program (IPP).
"Ireland is not a member of NATO, but it is a very important partner. It shares NATO's values. And it shares NATO's commitment to strengthening the role of the United Nations as the guarantor of international security, and the rule of law," Rasmussen noted in a speech delivered at the Institute of International and European Affairs in Dublin.
Rasmussen later discussed current cooperation between NATO and Ireland, and the potential for strengthening ties, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny. He is expected to meet with Irish Defense Minister Alan Shatter during the course of his visit.
"There are two areas that I believe offer considerable potential: capabilities, and military education, training and exercises," Rasmussen was quoted as telling the Irish Taoiseach in a news release posted on the alliance's website.
According to the news release, NATO's Smart Defense initiative aims to strengthen multinational cooperation on military capabilities, while the Connected Forces Initiative aims to build cooperation on training and exercises.
Working with NATO in these fields "would allow you to enhance your own capabilities - and it would be warmly welcomed by the Alliance," Rasmussen said.
The NATO chief also thanked Ireland for its contribution to the western military alliance's missions, noting that both NATO and Ireland benefit from cooperation.
"By engaging with NATO, you get a voice at the table where the decisions are made. You get full political transparency and oversight. You get a military command and control system that is tried, tested, and trusted," he said.
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