Washington, Jumada I 02, 1437, February 11, 2016, SPA -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter met Wednesday with Czech Minister of Defense Martin Stropnicky on the sidelines of the NATO defense ministerial meeting in Brussels, Belgium for a discussion of anti-ISIS efforts and the Czech Republic’s contributions to European security and Afghanistan, the Pentagon said. Carter “thanked Stropnicky for the Czech Republic’s recent decision to provide additional weapons and ammunition to the counter-ISIL fight, and they discussed other potential Czech contributions to the campaign,” the Pentagon said in a statement. The U.S. defense chief “expressed support for the Czech Republic’s efforts to increase defense spending and modernize its military, and recognized the Czech Republic for the active role it is taking in NATO air policing, military exercises, and supporting the movement of U.S. military convoys,” the Pentagon wrote. Carter also thanked his Czech counterpart for his country’s “continued contributions in Afghanistan,” the statement said. --SPA 11:57 LOCAL TIME 08:57 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w