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NATO-Russia Rally arrives in Moscow
19 May 2006
2 MIN READ
All roads in Russia do ultimately lead to Moscow – and the NATO-Russia Rally was no exception.
The Moscow leg of the Rally began on the evening of 17 May with a friendly hockey game organised by the Czech Embassy. A joint NRC team (composed of Allied and Russian players) faced off the “USSR legends”.
The main event – on 18 May – was hosted by the famous Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Students (a few hundred of them) were joined by diplomats, NATO officials, as well as Russian MFA and MOD officials, commentators and experts to discuss “The future of NATO-Russia relations”.
Lively and open discussion
As was the case at other Rally stops, participants displayed their expertise, put a lot of passion into their interventions and showed that frank exchanges of views do not only happen behind the closed doors of the formal NATO-Russia Council meetings. Various new and original ideas were offered as to how to improve the quality of the partnership.
Around midday the audience got a chance to put their questions directly to the Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. Speaking through the video-link from NATO HQ in Brussels, the Secretary General presented his vision of the partnership and answered many questions posed by students.
“The story of the NATO-Russia Rally is simple: the bridge is now built.” he said, “We have that strategic partnership. And we are now taking steps to reinforce it, so it can bear more of the weight of international security”.
In the afternoon an experts’ round table took place at Moscow Linguistic University, analysing the results of an independent polling on “Russian Public Opinion on NATO”. It was clear from that polling that much work still remains to be done to improve the Alliance’s image in Russia.
The day in Moscow was also filled with many accompanying events, including video-links between universities, film show, concerts and receptions.
A handful of political hooligans attempted to disrupt an opening of the photo exhibition at the State Library of Foreign Literature. In spite of this regrettable incident, the event, bringing together people interested in NATO-Russia relations, did proceed in accordance with the programme.
The Rally is a series of public events held in nine cities across the Russian Federation from 11 to 26 May.
The aim is to give the Russian public a chance to hear more about, and to debate, cooperation between the Alliance and Russia in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council.