Portuguese EU presidency aims to strengthen ties with NATO
(FUNCHAL) - Portugal will use its term at the helm of the EU presidency during the second half of this year to boost cooperation between the bloc and NATO, Defence Minister Nuno Severiano Teixeira said Sunday.
"One of the priorities of the Portuguese presidency will be to encourage, develop and deepen the cooperation between the European Union and NATO," he told a meeting of lawmakers from NATO nations in Funchal on Portugal's Madeira island.
Portugal, a founding member of NATO, will take over the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union from Germany on July 1.
Of the 26 members of the military alliance, 21 are also members of the EU.
More than 300 lawmakers from NATO member states as well as delegates and observers from over 15 other nations are taking part in the four-day meeting in Funchal which will wrap up on Monday.
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly meets twice a year. The next gathering will be held in Iceland in October.
Key issues under discussion in Funchal have been NATO ties with Russia, Afghanistan and further expansion of the military alliance.
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