"The stakes of this summit had two very important reference points. One was relating to the NATO success in the operations it was involved, with a special accent on Afghanistan and on the Western Balkans. The second one was about the changing of the Alliance, the process of the Alliance's transformation and adaptation to the present realities and to the realities foreshadowing a change in the security needs of its member states. Also, besides the two stakes, the fact that at this summit an integrated political strategy has been adopted was of a major importance. This integrated political strategy basically defines a political approach of NATO for the next 10-15 years. As for the ensuring the success of the operation NATO is involved in, I would precise the fact that the most difficult problem is the one relating to the NATO participation in Afghanistan. From this point of view, the accent was on the necessity to increase the number of forces in Afghanistan so as to ensure success", the President explained on his way back from Riga. He added: "The second level, the NATO transformation, includes a very large range of actions. (...) NATO does not propose itself to stick strictly to its members and to the partnerships foreshadowing the future NATO members, but to develop a series of integrated partnerships, able to form a global partnership". (A.H.)