NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says he is "absolutely certain” a semiannual meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers can be rescheduled so U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson can attend.
Stoltenberg made the remarks in an interview with the Associated Press on March 22, saying he met in Washington earlier in the day with Tillerson and that they agreed to have their staffs work out an alternative schedule.
U.S. officials said earlier this week that Tillerson was planning to skip the NATO meeting scheduled for April 5-6 in Brussels -- his first opportunity to meet with foreign ministers from all 27 other NATO countries. He plans to visit Moscow shortly after that date.
The decisions raised concerns from European officials about the Trump administration's commitment to the alliance.
But Stoltenberg said after meeting Tillerson on the sidelines of a 68-nation anti-Islamic State coalition in Washington that he is sure all alliance members can find a date that works for everyone.