The foreign ministry has issued a strong protest to the Fyrom government over a mock "funeral of Greece" staged at a carnival in the city of Vevčani where the Greek flag was burnt. Meanwhile, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Reeker Fyrom will only receive a Nato invitation once an acceptable solution to the name issue is found

A seminar on the theme of "Political unrest, economic uncertainty and security in the Mediterranean" is being organised at a hotel in Vouliagmeni on Tuesday and Wednesday by the Special Group for the Mediterranean and the Middle East of NATO's Parliamentary Assembly in cooperation with the Greek Parliamentary Delegation.

Defence Minister Evangelos Venizelos mostly focused on the national positions and Lisbon's Nato Summit decisions in his opening speech on Monday at the 19th International Symposium of the Greek Union for the Atlantic and European Cooperation. The symposium is on security and stability in the 21st century and is taking place at the foreign ministry in Athens. 

Defence Minister Evangelos Venizelos on Monday referred to "intense negotiations" in the first half of 2011 as regards the new command structure and Nato's future anti-missile defence.

A crucial two-day Natio summit opened on Friday in Lisbon, with Prime Minister George Papandreou taking part.

Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria and NATO will participate in the Nusret-2010 naval exercise that is due to begin in the Aegean on November 6, the Turkish navy announced on Wednesday.

Demonstrations have been planned to coincide with the Nato secretary general's visit

A meeting this week by Nato ministers mulls over a new strategy and mission