Friday, FEBRUARY 10
This is important

D.Medvedev meets D.Rogozin in Kremlin

'We must of course proceed in light of the fact that the Russian Federation is interested in full, equal and mutually beneficial relations with NATO, relations which read more...

russian
July 30, 2010   Leak of U.S. documents on Afghan war to lead to investigations - Russia's envoy to NATO

The documents reveal the killings of civilians, reports that Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency is helping the Taliban in Afghanistan, with military units involved and weapon systems used. These documents were also given to a number of world acknowledged publications, such as the New York Times, the Guardian and Der Spiegel. White House and other world authorities involved in the war called this move irresponsible. Russia's envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said he thinks that Washington's policies will not change much 


July 16, 2010   Russia-NATO Rapproachment (Sueddeutsche Zeitung, 15.07.2010)

Polls show that Russian society has no fear of NATO, but has until now no particular liking for it either. NATO’s military infrastructure approaching closer to Russian borders did not create a good mood for the Russians. For elites and people of Russia national sovereignty and independence in the decision-making process is an indisputable value in itself. Any foreign muscle-flexing in the immediate proximity to national frontiers awakes the complex historic memory and arouses the resistance and self-defense instinct... Besides, Russian membership in NATO could hardly be the right goal at the time when the Alliance itself is at a crossroads and some of its member-states are frightening each other with the “Russian Bear” now and then. NATO obviously needs to establish a new political-strategic consensus 


June 17, 2010   Joint Statement by States during the 14th Session of the UN Human Rights Council on the Occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War

“Highlighting the progress made since the Second World War in overcoming its legacy and in reconciliation, we reaffirm our determination to prevent new tragedies and to save succeeding generations from the threats to peace and security.” The joint statement was a sign that the Victory in World War II continues to be an event that brings together states from various regions of the world, and that it was thanks to it that the establishment of the contemporary international order became possible. Against this background, unacceptable are attempts to revise the outcome of the war, or question the Judgment of the Nuremberg Tribunal, which unequivocally condemned Nazism and gave a legal assessment of its crimes 


June 16, 2010   Russia becomes more NATO-friendly, less EU-interested (RT, 16.06.2010)

The new study, performed by one of the country’s largest research centres, Levada, suggests that 33% of Russians, which is 10% more than last year, want closer cooperation with the alliance. Following the conflict in South Ossetia in August 2008, formal talks between Russia and NATO were suspended, which was immediately reflected in the public opinion polls with just 23% of Russians supporting the alliance. However, in recent years, Russia and NATO cooperated significantly more in such areas as fighting world terrorism, tackling the issue of drug trafficking, and even performing military training together. The figure, nevertheless, is still far from the 2003 peak when 48% of Russian supported NATO 


June 14, 2010   Dmitry Medvedev answered questions from Russian journalists

 We now have a separate document that brings into question participation by nations with problems in their legal status. In particular, an organisation that is subject to United Nations sanctions cannot apply to become a SCO member. I think that this is also fully clear, in terms of who can and who cannot apply in today’s circumstances. And finally, in my view, the number of SCO observers can also grow, because this provides an opportunity to get to know one another and understand what it would mean to be a participant, not to mention the opportunity to participate in SCO events as a so-called Dialogue Partner, where a state can simply participate in certain programmes – and the number of programmes is growing every year 


June 14, 2010   Russia does not see NATO as a threat

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the way NATO officials interpret Russia’s new military doctrine. In an interview with the Moscow-based Kommersant newspaper, he explained that the doctrine did not see NATO as a security threat and was in fact not about threats but about hazards. The latter do not include NATO as such but quite different things as, for example, the alliance’s efforts “to project its military potential onto any part of the world in breech of international law”. The fact that NATO’s defenses spread far beyond its territory and its military infrastructure approaches Russia’s borders leaves Moscow worrying. Finally, the list of the alliance’s security cooperation partners mentioned the United Nations as a consulting partner. But in matters pertaining to the use of force, consultations are not an appropriate form as regards the UN 


June 10, 2010   SCO summit to focus on Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan

The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (CSO) will gather for a summit in Tashkent on June 10-11 to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, a Kremlin aide said on Wednesday. The discussion will focus on Afghan drug trafficking and restoring order in the troubled Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan following the overthrow of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev in April. “Special attention will be paid to the situation in Kyrgyzstan and the peace efforts in Afghanistan including through the establishment of multi-party cooperation with the Afghan government and other interested partners in the sphere of security and economic cooperation and the fight against Afghan drug trafficking,” Sergei Prikhodko said. The agenda of the summit will also include procedures on adopting new members to the SCO, which currently consists of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan 


June 7, 2010   ‘Dialogue Is Better than Trench Warfare Confrontation’ Interview of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs/State Secretary Grigory Karasin to the Newspaper Izvestia, June 3, 2010

We do not turn away from difficulties, but as far as possible maintain contacts in the humanitarian, social and cultural spheres, and engage in dialogue with all reasonable people. Recently, for the summer vacation period charter flights were resumed that had already been carried out during Christmas and Easter. The Upper Lars border crossing point has been opened. We encourage contacts between intellectuals, and inter-church ties. Everything else depends on the common sense and responsibility of the Georgian politicians. It is my belief that with time an understanding will take root in Tbilisi that to live in peace and harmony with all the neighbors is in its long-term national interest 


June 4, 2010   Ukraine ditches NATO plans as president marks 100 days in office (Russia Today)

NATO is off the agenda for now. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Voloshin, says that the motivation for this is that the majority of Ukrainians stand for the non-bloc status of the country. “That means that not only the issue of joining NATO, but also the issue of joining any military bloc cannot be on Ukraine’s foreign policy agenda. That’s perhaps our contribution to stability in the region. We do think that a non-bloc Ukraine would contribute much greater to peace and stability in Eastern Europe, as well as to peace and stability between the west and Russia,” Oleg Voloshin said 


June 4, 2010   Guseinov: Euro-Atlantism is a reality we must take into account

The pact cannot be squeezed into a narrower bloc strategy of NATO. Instead, we should ponder possibilities to implement the new NATO strategy if the European security pact is adopted, which I don’t think would be a problem. However, the North Atlantic alliance rejects any forms of binding international obligations and any limits on its activity. Moreover, the proposed pact better meets modern realities and development prospects of Europe and the world. As for the new NATO strategy presented by Madeleine Albright’s commission (Madeleine Albright chairs NATO’s Strategic Concept Expert Group), it contains many elements which a German analyst aptly described as a desire to determine the future by means of the recent past and the present 


June 3, 2010   Dr. Hans-Henning Schroeder: With new European Security act NATO would change

 I’m not too sure, by the way, that Albright calls the question of European security a threat to NATO. Of course if we really adopt a new European security act, I think that all of NATO would change, and not be a threat.  Regarding the question of European security architecture, it is helpful that Medvedev made his proposal, but this a question that has been on the agenda since the moratorium of the CFE treaty. We have a lot of questions to solve: the question of conventional disarmament, the question of energy security, the question of human rights, the resolution of so-called frozen  conflicts and the security of all the countries in Europe. There are different perceptions of who is a threat. The Baltic countries perceive Russia as a threat. In Poland, I think the situation has changed a little since relations between Russia and Poland have gotten better. In Germany, I would say no one sees Russia as a threat anymore. Of course in Russia, many people see NATO as a threat. So there is really a lot to do to create a situation where every country and every man in Europe can feel secure. I’d say Medvedev’s proposal is a first step, and now we have to develop a structure to talk about it. We have the Corfu process, but this isn’t enough. We should have something more political where the heads of state can talk about these questions 


3

Important Issues

Statement by Dmitry Medvedev in connection with the situation concerning the NATO countries’ missile defence system in Europe
November 23, 2011

Statement by Dmitry Medvedev in connection with the situation concerning the NATO countries’ missile defence system in Europe

Deputy PermRep Mr. Nikolay Korchunov's meeting with Group of Think-Tankers from Russia, November 17th 2011
November 17, 2011

Deputy PermRep Mr. Nikolay Korchunov's meeting with Group of Think-Tankers from Russia, November 17th 2011

Press-Conference by Dmitry Rogozin on January 26th following the first Ambassadorial NATO-Russia Council in 2011 [audio]
January 27, 2011

Press-Conference by Dmitry Rogozin on January 26th following the first Ambassadorial NATO-Russia Council in 2011 [audio]

Meeting of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev with the Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin, 24.01.2011
January 25, 2011

Meeting of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev with the Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin, 24.01.2011

The STANDEX (Stand-off Explosive Detection) Project of the NATO-Russia Council (PDF, 3,7 Mb)
November 23, 2010

The STANDEX (Stand-off Explosive Detection) Project of the NATO-Russia Council (PDF, 3,7 Mb)

Dmitry Medvedev's News Conference following NATO-Russia Council Meeting
November 21, 2010

Dmitry Medvedev's News Conference following NATO-Russia Council Meeting

Documents

February 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

All documents