NATO Chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen visits Denmark

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen paid an official visit to Denmark on Friday, where he met with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Defense Minister Nicolas Wammen.
At their meeting, Rasmussen and Thorning-Schmidt discussed topics such as the upcoming NATO summit in Wales and the situation in Ukraine.
Rasmussen said at a joint conference after his meeting with Wammen that the NATO Summit in September in Wales will focus on the Alliance's readiness to deal with the full range of threats.
He said a Readiness Action Plan will be adopted to improve NATO's readiness, strengthen cooperation with partners, and assist states which ask for help to strengthen their defence institutions.
Referring to Russia's decision to send aid convoy to eastern Ukraine, Rasmussen emphasized that relief supplies must be approved by the Ukrainian government in Kiev.
The NATO chief praised Denmark for its contribution to the Alliance's operations and missions.
Moreover, he urged that NATO countries should gradually increase investment in defense.
Rasmussen, who previously served as Denmark's prime minister from 2001 to 2009, also used the occasion to rule out a return to Danish politics when his term as NATO secretary general expires on Sept. 30.
"I don't think it's a good idea to come back when you have been the country's prime minister. I'm not going back to Danish politics and I'm not going to retire either. But beyond that I haven't currently made a concrete decision," he was quoted by the Danish news agency Ritzau as saying.
During his visit, Rasmussen also met with Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik.