Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work have discussed security issues and potential points of military cooperation with Peter Hultqvist and Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic, respective defense ministers for Sweden and Montenegro.
Hultqvist visited the Pentagon to sign a statement of intent alongside Carter and Work to build on the defense cooperation between U.S. and Sweden, the Defense Department‘s news service reported Wednesday.
Carter said the statement of intent aims to support stability and unity in the Nordic region, according to DoD Press Secretary Peter Cook.
Work met separately with Hultqvist to discuss defense cooperation, deterrence of Russia’s behavior, counterterrorism efforts against the Islamic State, the Third Offset Strategy and NATO initiatives, Cook added.
Montenegro’s Defense Minister Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic also visited the Pentagon to meet with Work and talk about defense cooperation and security challenges, DoD said in a separate notice.
Work commended Montenegro’s contributions to NATO missions and operations in Afghanistan, Work’s spokeswoman said.
The deputy defense secretary also congratulated Pejanovic-Djurisic on Montenegro’s signature of its accession protocol that awaits ratification by 28 NATO allies, DoD noted.
