Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as part of his participation in the UN General Assembly. This is reported by TASS .
Sergey Lavrov
About the probability of Russia joining the alliance
With such a statement, the Russian Foreign Minister addressed the press during the protocol photographing. Then the meeting was held behind closed doors.
Of paramount importance
NATO has repeatedly stressed that they are trying to improve relations with Russia. So, in June, Stoltenberg said that relations with Russia are of paramount importance for the alliance. He explained that NATO is trying to adhere to two main directions in cooperation with Moscow.
Jens Stoltenberg
About NATO's relations with Russia
According to the Secretary General, NATO is going to continue developing relations with Russia, even if there are no improvements in this area. He stressed that it is necessary to talk with Moscow.
The Secretary General also said that the NATO member states do not seek confrontation and do not pose a threat to Russia. He stressed that the alliance is ready for a dialogue with Moscow in order to avoid an unpredictable escalation.
At the same time, a couple of days after Stoltenberg's statement, Lavrov said that the alliance refused from contacts with Moscow through the military. According to the Foreign Minister, NATO's policy of deterring Russia provokes military and political tensions in Europe. The minister stressed that "NATO strategists" again saw Russia's aggressive actions where there are none.
Deterioration of relations
Relations between Russia and NATO deteriorated sharply after the annexation of Crimea to Russia in 2014. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who at that time was the secretary General of the alliance, regarded the events as a threat to the sovereignty of Ukraine and European security.
On March 5, during an extraordinary meeting of the NATO Council on Ukraine, he said that the alliance would review the "entire range" of cooperation with Moscow against the background of its relations with Kiev. As a result, NATO suspended "holding military and civilian meetings with Russia and planning joint military missions."
Then, on April 1, during the Foreign ministers of the NATO member countries, the alliance announced the suspension of all types of civil and military cooperation with Russia.
The beginning of cooperation between Russia and NATO
Relations between Russia and NATO were established after the collapse of the USSR in December 1991, when Moscow joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. In 1998, the diplomatic mission of Russia to NATO was established. Within the framework of the country's contacts with the alliance, there were working groups on cooperation in the airspace, the field of logistics and logistics, and the field of missile defense.
Marina Sovina
