The sides plan to focus on the alliance’s new strategy and the development of missile defense system
See also
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Joint Press Conference by Russia's PermRep to NATO D.Rogozin and CSTO SecGen N.Bordyuzha (AUDIO), 18.04.2011, BrusselsThe NATO-Russia Council (NRC) meeting at the level ... 
Dmitry Medvedev took part in a meeting of the NATO-Russia CouncilDmitry Medvedev took part in a meeting of the NATO-Russia ... 
Dmitry Medvedev's News Conference following NATO-Russia Council MeetingIt is clearly in our interests therefore to be able ... Russia, NATO to mend fences
June 16, 2010Wednesday will see an ambassadorial meeting of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels, where the sides plan to focus on the alliance’s new strategy and the development of missile defense system. In an interview earlier this month, Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin likened the alliance to “a butting cow “ in a clear nod to NATO’s persistent reluctance to arrive at a political accommodation on an array of mutually advantageous issues with Russia.
Suffice it to mention Moscow’s proposal to jointly stave off sea piracy – an overture that was actually downplayed by Brussels. NATO was also low-key on Russia’s suggestion to jointly tackle the Afghan drug trafficking, which the UN said remains one of the most pressing global challenges. Meanwhile, drug production in Afghanistan has doubled in the past couple of years despite the ongoing international anti-terror operation there.
In Moscow, Igor Maksimychev of the Institute of Europe think tank, underscored the necessity of holding the Russia-NATO Council’s ambassadorial meetings so as to contribute to bilateral fence-mending.
Such gatherings will hopefully help allay Russia’s and NATO’s fears regarding each other, Maksimychev said, citing the alliance’s ongoing eastward expansion, which has repeatedly irked Russia. In this regard, ambassadorial meetings within the Russia-NATO Council’s framework could contribute considerably to reach a consensus on the matter, Maksimychev said. On the whole, mending fences between Russia and NATO is an uphill task which is unlikely to be resolved during ambassadorial meetings, Maksimychev admited.
During Wednesday’s gathering, the sides will also discuss the report by NATO’s Wise Men Group, headed by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The survey centers on NATO’s new strategy, which aims to contribute to the alliance members’ national security by specifically interacting with those currently knocking on NATO’s door.
Declining to elaborate, the report attributes NATO’s potential military muscle-flexing to the necessity of grappling with a spate of modern-day threats emanating from “sources which are very diverse geographically and technologically”. The Voice of Russia Êîììåíòàðèè |
Important Issues
DocumentsFebruary 23, 2011
About the Special Envoy of the President of the Russian Federation for the Interaction with NATO in Missile Defence, 18 Feb 2011 February 21, 2011
Instruction about the Inter-Agency Working Group under the Administration of the President of Russia for the Interaction with NATO in Missile Defence, 18 Feb 2011 November 23, 2010
NATO-Russia Council Joint Statement (Lisbon, November 20, 2010) August 18, 2008
Statement of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs June 5, 2008
Dmitry Medvedev's Speech at Meeting with German Political, Parliamentary and Civic Leaders April 4, 2008
Chairman’s statement: Meeting of the NATO-Russia Council at the level of Heads of State and Government held in Bucharest |
![Press-Conference by Dmitry Rogozin on January 26th following the first Ambassadorial NATO-Russia Council in 2011 [audio]](/files/pictures/en_file49at198.jpg)
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