Readout of the President's Meeting with NATO Secretary General Rasmussen

The President welcomed NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to the Oval Office earlier today. The President thanked the Secretary General for the significant NATO commitment to promoting peace and stability around the world, particularly in Afghanistan where nearly 50,000 non-U.S. ISAF troops, trainers, and civilians are serving alongside Americans with distinction. The two leaders discussed progress in implementing our shared strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and ways to further strengthen the international community’s efforts. The President and the Secretary General discussed goals for the November 19-20 NATO Summit in Lisbon, including unveiling a new NATO Strategic Concept that reinforces the allied commitment to invest in 21st Century capabilities, particularly missile defense, cyber defense, and civilian-military capabilities; reforming NATO’s structures to make it more agile and efficient to take on the range of challenges that face allied countries today; and affirming NATO’s role as the hub of a network of security partnerships that advance global stability. The President looks forward to further discussing these issues with the Secretary General and other allied and ISAF partner leaders at the November Summit.