The summit meetings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and heads of state and government of partner countries opened Monday in Turkey's largest city of Istanbul.

The meetings will be held in the "Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Convention and Exhibition Center" (ICEC).

The Istanbul Summit is the 17th summit meeting of NATO and is also the first one since NATO's expansion from 19 to 26 members in March this year.

The summit will demonstrate how NATO is projecting stability in three ways: by strengthening relations with an ever-growing list of partners; through operations in the Balkans, Afghanistan and the Mediterranean; and by modernizing armed forces for new missions, far away from home.

(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2004)