The Nato alliance, including Bulgaria, are meeting in Brussels, on December 2, to discuss the Alliance mission in Afghanistan and its role in connection with the presidential elections in 2009 and the parliamentary vote the following year. Bulgarian forces are currently deployed and operational as part of the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, which is under the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom with its British counterpart, Operation Herrick.

Another important topic on the agenda of the Nato conference will be the ongoing crisis in Kosovo. NATO will discuss future security measures in the breakaway Balkan republic there following the reorganisation of UN forces as well as the upcoming deployment of the EU law-and-order mission, EULEX.

Military officials will also be looking at ways to increase Nato's mutual co-operation with non-member states like Georgia and Ukraine, Nato spokesman James Appathurai said, as quoted by the Bulgarian National Radoi, BNR. Accent will be placed also on resuming the Alliance co-operation with Russia in light of recent tensions generated between Russia and the US in particular, in response to the missile shield installations in the Czech Republic and Poland. Bulgaria will be represented at the conference by Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin.

The new chilling breeze, reminiscent of the old Cold War, started blowing when relations between the alliance and Moscow were essentially severed following Russia's brief but efficient military campaign against Georgia in August 2008. US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said she had constantly worked hard to improve relations with Russia since the conflict. However, some issues still needed to be resolved. Apart from tension brewing between the US and Russia, there is increasing alarm in Europe as well. Countries like Germany, France and Italy are much more cautious and are rather worried about the worsening tensions with Moscow, as reported by the BBC.

Rice said she was not opposed "in principle" to improving the council's activities, but warned against military co-operation.

"We should be very attentive to what the Russians are doing and whether they are living up to their obligations," she said. There are certain types of activities, like military-to-military contacts, that seem to me to be problematic when the Russian ministry is sitting in Georgian territory, in the separatist regions," Rice said, as quoted by the BBC.

Meanwhile thousands of Russian troops remain in the territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Nato officials wish to send a signal to Georgia and Ukraine in the conference to pursue the reforms needed to join Nato, membership which is desired by both countries and highly opposed by Moscow. Consequently, it is believed that Nato officials are ready to offer Georgia and Ukraine deals that are short of full Nato membership.