Brussels 6 June 2002

Statement NATO-Russia Council at the level of Defence Ministers We, the Defence Ministers of the NATO-Russia Council, held today our first meeting. We are determined to do our part in forging the new relationship between NATO Member States and Russia created by the Declaration "NATO-Russia Relations: A New Quality", adopted and signed by Heads of State and Government at the Rome Summit, on 28 May 2002. With this in mind we have met as equal partners to discuss areas of common interest, to enhance our ability to work together, and to stand together against common risks and threats to our security. We are strongly committed to the implementation of the NRC Work Programme for 2002 approved in Reykjavik and brought into effect in Rome, and have given directions to our Ambassadors to take this work forward. More specifically, we have tasked the NATO-Russia Council at Ambassadorial level: to consider the operational implications arising from the recently agreed joint assessment of the terrorist threat to SFOR and KFOR peacekeepers which we, as Defence Ministers, endorse; and to advise on how best to associate troop contributing countries and Partners with this work; to determine an appropriate timetable for and proceed with the development of a broader assessment of the terrorist threat to the Euro-Atlantic area, initially concentrating on specific threats, such as those to Russian and NATO forces, to civilian aircraft, or by civilian aircraft to critical infrastructure such as nuclear power plants, acting through an ad hoc working group as foreseen by Foreign Ministers, from which they would also subsequently draw the necessary operational implications; to consider organising in Moscow a follow-on conference to that held in Rome in February on the military role in combating terrorism, which should focus on concrete possibilities for enhanced cooperation in this field; to consider, in the area of crisis management, ways in which to strengthen cooperation as outlined in the Rome Declaration of Heads of State and Government, including continued implementation of the relevant provisions detailed in the 2002 work programmes for the PJC and its Political-Military Expert Working Group on Peacekeeping; to create urgently, in the area of non-proliferation, an ad hoc working group charged with developing a joint assessment of global trends in the proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical agents and as a first step initiate a structured exchange of views following up on the ongoing missile proliferation discussions; and exchange experience with the goal of exploring opportunities for intensified practical cooperation on protection from NBC agents; as a matter of importance, to develop concrete plans and timetables for consultation and cooperation in the area of theatre missile defence; to continue to implement, in the area of arms control and confidence-building measures, the relevant sections of the 2002 PJC Work programme, inter alia with a view to developing the NATO-Russia Nuclear Experts' Consultation Work Plan; to exchange views on experience with defence reform, including ongoing discussions in the framework of NATO-Russia Staff Talks on Defence Reform, exploring the possibility of dialogue and mutual assistance in defence reform techniques and processes, including possible initiatives on personnel training and economic aspects, including conversion; to explore at the expert level areas for consultation, which may lead to concrete and specific projects; to consider the creation of an ad hoc working group on defence reform; to arrange a seminar on defence reform to be organised at the NATO Defense College in Rome; to cooperate in the fields of logistics, air transport and air-to-air refuelling and, as a first step, to agree specific action plans including possible timetables for taking forward cooperation in these areas; these plans should address the proposal to organise demonstration tests as soon as possible; to monitor, in the area of search and rescue at sea, the finalisation and subsequent implementation of a framework document on submarine crew rescue; and monitor and continue to promote cooperation, transparency and confidence between NATO and Russia in the area of search and rescue at sea; and, to develop specific plans and agree timetables for implementing the NRC Work Programme in the areas of training and exercises and cooperative air space initiative and pursue implementation as quickly as possible.