On Sept. 4, 2014, Gen. Knud Bartels, Chairman of the NATO military Committee, Gen. Phil Breedlove, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and Gen. Jean-Paul Paloméros, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, pay their respect during a minute of silence in honor of the lives lost during the Allied Operations in Afghanistan, just before the meeting on Afghanistan kicks off at NATO Summit 2014 in the Wales, United Kingdom. The Summit formally opens with a meeting on Afghanistan, as NATO is completing its combat mission and opening a new chapter in its partnership with Kabul. Leaders will discuss the achievements of the ISAF mission and the Alliance’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan after 2014. The Allied Heads of State and Government meet with 27 partner countries including ISAF contributors (Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, El Salvador, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Jordan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Montenegro, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Tonga, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates), countries from the region as well as Japan. High level representatives of the United Nations and the European Union also attend.