Back to dialogue: NATO and Russia rebuild relations


Global Research, January 26, 2009
Russia Today


Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said the first official contacts between Russia and NATO will take place at the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy, scheduled to take place in early February.

The ice is thawing between NATO and Russia as the two sides hold an informal meeting for the first time since the conflict in South Ossetia.

On Monday, all 26 NATO members and Russia are holding a council meeting which aims to improve relations between Moscow and the alliance. The sides will also consider resuming regular meetings of the Russia-NATO Council.

NATO froze all work of the Russia-NATO Council last August when it condemned Moscow for what it described as a disproportionate use of force against Georgia. The alliance then suspended all military cooperation programmes.

Russia's representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said Moscow is ready to get down to business with the military alliance. He stressed, however, that the Russian side is not “going to pretend that nothing has happened.â€