U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has held talks with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the sidelines of a Transatlantic Dinner on global issues hosted by the Italian Foreign Minister in Rome, the Western military alliance said in a press release on Wednesday.
"Today we discussed many key issues on NATO's agenda. These include the progress of our mission in Afghanistan, maintaining NATO's robust partnerships, and a fair burden-sharing in our Alliance," Rasmussen was quoted as saying in the press release.
"We have often met in Washington, so I'm delighted that he's chosen Europe for his first trip abroad. And I'm looking forward to working with him closely in the future," the NATO chief added.
The bilateral meeting took place just ahead of a "Dinner in Transatlantic Format" hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi. Foreign Ministers from NATO and European Union Member-States, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton also attended the dinner.
Thanking the Italian Foreign Minister for hosting the event, Rasmussen noted: "We face many challenges and we have a lot of work to do. Europe and North America are separated by an ocean but are united by core values and interests because our partnership is vital for our own security and the security of the world."
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