NATO-Russia Council to meet in Brussels

(Baonghean.vn) - NATO delegations will hold their first official meeting with Russia in two years on April 20, the Western alliance said on April 12. The agenda will include hot issues such as the crisis in Ukraine, reducing military risks and the Afghanistan issue.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg leaves the auditorium after a press conference during a NATO defense ministers meeting at the alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on February 10. Photo: Reuters.

“This is not about going back to business as usual, we really need dialogue,” said a NATO spokesman.

The forum between Russia and former Cold War foe NATO has never been formally suspended, but the last meeting took place in June 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. Both sides have now agreed to hold ambassadorial-level talks in Brussels, within the framework of the NATO-Russia Council.

With the West and Russia still at odds over Ukraine, the meeting is a sign of a willingness to improve diplomatic relations, which could help avoid unintended clashes in the region.

As NATO accelerates its biggest military buildup in Eastern Europe since the Cold War, the alliance also wants to talk to Moscow about improving military transparency to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

NATO suspended all practical cooperation with Russia in April 2014 in protest at Russia's annexation of Crimea.

NATO has insisted that high-level political contacts with Russia are likely to continue, but NATO and Russian ambassadors have only met twice since the Crimea crisis broke out, the first time in March 2014 and the second (most recent) time in early June 2014.

Thu Giang

(According to Reuters)