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| Last update: 28-May-2006 16:58 | NATO Update |
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NATO-Russia Rally goes from Moscow to Murmansk
The NATO-Russia Rally made its northernmost stop when it came to Murmansk, 22 May, for a programme which focused on the need for effective multilateral cooperation. The theme is well-suited for a city and region whose booming economy is fuelled by international trade and cooperation. Here the isolation of the Cold War is treated as a parenthesis in a long history of trade and people-to-people ties. Building ties that bind In the words of the Vice-Governor of the Murmansk Oblast, Sergey Subotin, anti-NATO sentiments in Russia lie foremost in a lack of information. The Conference, which took place at the Murmansk State Technological University, included a morning of political discussions, and an afternoon dedicated to expert briefings on specific cooperation projects. The region has extensive cooperation programmes with NATO member countries such as Iceland, Norway, Canada, focusing on the Barents Sea and its energy resources. In addition, a press point by the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister, Kjetil Skogrand, the Slovakian Ambassador to NATO, Igor Slobodnik, allowed for questions on bilateral and multilateral relations. Summing up the discussions at one point, Michael Washer, responsible for nuclear submarine dismantlement programmes at the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, gave his view on the Rally theme – what binds us together. “Men of good will trying who have come together to achieve something worthwhile,” was his definition he said, reflecting on the spirit and tone of the discussions. Next Rally stop – Pskov, 24 May
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