10 May 2007
The Russian Chief of Defence, Army General Yury Baluyevskiy, met his Allied counterparts for a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) at NATO Headquarters on 10 May. They reviewed progress in military cooperation between NATO and Russia, and had an open and informed exchange of views on US missile defence plans and on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty.
"Our discussion today focused on the ways and means to continue building on our mutually beneficial, practical military-to-military cooperation activities to develop interoperability," said General Raymond Henault, NATO's Chairman of the Military Committee, after the meeting.
The chiefs of defence expressed their commitment to ongoing cooperation under the NRC Military Work Plan. Agreed annually, this Work Plan covers a wide range of activities, including exercise and training, theatre missile defence, naval cooperation, search-and-rescue at sea, logistics and academic contacts and exchanges (see also fact sheet on NATO-Russia military cooperation). A key focus of cooperation is to improve the ability of Russian and NATO forces to work together, and preparations are underway for a major crisis-response exercise planned for 2009/2010.
In particular, the chiefs of defence expressed their satisfaction with progress achieved in maritime cooperation. Since December 2004, joint pre-deployment training has been underway to prepare Russian ships to support Operation Active Endeavour, NATO’s maritime counter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean. The Russian frigate RFS Pitlyvi deployed in support of the operation in September 2006 and another ship is being prepared for deployment later this year.
During the meeting, General Baluyevskiy stated Russia's position on the US missile defence plans and on the CFE Treaty. "We welcomed the opportunity to continue to discuss issues of common interest with a view to better appreciating our respective positions," said General Henault. "It was an open and mature dialogue."
The missile defence issue has been the subject of several discussions in the NRC, including at the meeting of foreign ministers on 26 April. Russia has fundamental concerns about US plans to build radar and missile interceptor sites in the Czech Republic and Poland, whereas the NATO Allies believe that the US plans can in no way upset the strategic balance. While there continues to be disagreement on this issue, there is consensus on the need to continue these discussions in the NRC forum.
Regarding the CFE Treaty, the Allied chiefs of defence reiterated their commitment to the treaty, which they regard as a cornerstone of European security. The Allies have repeatedly stated their intention to ratify the Adapted Treaty, as soon as Russia has fulfilled commitments made in Istanbul in 1999 regarding its remaining troops and equipment in Georgia and Moldova.
