NATO announces at Warsaw Summit strengthening of military presence on eastern flank

WARSAW, July 8, 2016 -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg(L, front), German Chancellor Angela Merkel(C, front) and French President Francois Hollande(R, front) watch the air show during the opening ceremony of the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland on July 8, 2016. The NATO summit kicked off here Friday afternoon, with Polish President Andrzej Duda and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg officially greeting participants at the National Stadium PGE. (Xinhua/Shi Zhongyu)

WARSAW, July 8 -- Eighteen presidents and 21 prime ministers attended the first day of the Warsaw NATO summit on Friday, taking specific decisions on strengthening security.

After the first session of the North Atlantic Council, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the strengthening of NATO's eastern flank in Poland and Baltic countries. Four battalions are to be located in four countries -- Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland -- with the countries in command respectively being Canada, Germany, Britain and the United States.

NATO also regarded cyberspace as an operational zone and acknowledged the initial operational readiness of the anti-missile shield's component located in Romania.

Preceding the summit's opening ceremony, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and U.S. President Barack Obama expressed transatlantic unity between the United States and Europe.

Both sides discussed common political, economic, and security challenges facing Europe, especially Britain's referendum decision to leave the bloc.

Addressing this matter, Obama called the European Union one of the greatest political and economic achievements of today, "which should be kept intact as the world needed a strong, prosperous, and unified Europe."

He also said sanctions against Russia should remain in place until the Minsk agreement conditions were met.

Juncker and Tusk, alongside Stoltenberg, signed a joint declaration marking the importance of further strengthening EU-NATO cooperation at a time of what the two blocs claimed unprecedented security challenges from the East and the South. Counteracting hybrid threats, cyber security, and maritime safety in the bloc are the key goals included in the declaration.

Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda and U.S. President Obama held a meeting discussing bilateral cooperation, especially in the field of increased NATO's presence in Central and Eastern Europe. Obama said Poland will notice an increase of U.S. and NATO presence.

Poland can be sure that NATO will stand hand-in-hand under any circumstances, he added, announcing around a thousand U.S. soldiers would serve here on rotary basis.

Duda also met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Azerbaijan President Ilham Alijew.

He also took part in an experts forum on security, where he expressed satisfaction regarding Montenegro's access to NATO and called for deepening relations, especially with Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova.

At the same forum, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, together with former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, discussed NATO's policy towards Russia.

The first day of the summit wound up with a solemn parade of military aircraft, representing both Poland and NATO air forces.