Press Release

The Department of Defense (DoD) will conduct the next round of annual Bilateral Working Group (BWG) meetings with Baltic Ministry of Defense counterparts during the week of 27-31 January 1997 in each of the Baltic capitals.

Principal Director to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Frederick C. Smith will head the DoD delegation. Mr. Smith has co-chaired numerous Department of Defense Bilateral Working Group Meetings and High Level Defense Group meetings in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Members of the United States delegation include representatives from the National Security Council (NSC), the Office of the Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs European Policy (OSD/ISA-EUR) directorate, the Defense Security Assistance Agency (DSAA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Department of State Nordic/Baltic office, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, United States Missions NATO, United States European Command (EUCOM), and the host country's United States diplomatic team.

The meetings will address and review issues concerning the current state of bilateral defense and military relations (security assistance programs, regional security issues, defense reforms, etc.) and develop specific programs of bilateral assistance to be executed during the following year. This will be the third meeting in the series of BWGs that began in 1994. It is hoped that the next meetings will be hosted by the Department of Defense and conducted in Washington during late fall or early winter 1997.

In Tallinn, there will be a brief photo opportunity at the opening of the working seminar on Friday, January 31 at 9 a.m. in the Sakala Center. There will be a press conference at 4:30 p.m., also in the Sakala Center.

For further information please contact the Public Affairs Section.