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Updated: 04-Oct-2001 Week of 1-7 October 2001

3 Oct. 2001

President Putin meets Lord Robertson in Brussels

On his first trip to Brussels, President Putin of Russia met with NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson at the Palais d'Egmont on 3 October.

During their discussions, the Russian President reiterated his country's desire to help the United States combat the scourge of terrorism and be part of the global response to the 11 September attacks. He also indicated Russia's willingness to be more involved in general consultations on the subject. They also discussed short and long-term counter-terrorist measures that need to be taken, the situation in Chechnya and other current issues such as missile defence, prospects for NATO-Russia relations, present cooperative activities and potential new fields for cooperation. At a joint press conference with Lord Robertson, President Putin stated that "NATO is prepared to change the quality of its relationship with Russia and Russia is ready for this".

President Putin and Lord Robertson met on the second day of the two-day Summit meeting organised by the European Union. Last week, President Putin had been on a three-day visit to Germany.

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