The first meeting of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) at the level of ambassadors opened today in Brussels after the NATO summit finished in Warsaw. The director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Center for the Study of the US at the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Yuri Rogulev, and the military commentator of TASS, retired colonel Victor Litovkin, shared their expectations of the meeting with Vestnik Kavkaza
The director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Center for the Study of the US at the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Yuri Rogulev, pointed out that the objectives of NATO and Russia currently coincide in some way. "Both Russia and NATO's main goal is to establish a dialogue, which was unilaterally terminated by the alliance. Recall that the first meeting took place in the spring, and this is the second meeting after a long break in contacts. Since NATO-Russia relations were terminated, in general, by and large, Moscow will raise the question of how and on what lines the sides could continue to interact with each other, to cooperate or not cooperate,’’ he said.
"In this regard, the issues of security in Europe, Afghanistan and other topics of interest to both sides, including, of course, the deployment of troops in Eastern Europe and the Baltics, as well as ensuring the safety of aircraft flights in the Baltic, are at the top of the agenda,’’ Yuri Rogulev said.
The expert stressed that, in spite of the conflict, the relations between Russia and NATO are destined for cooperation. ‘’The alliance came close to Russia's borders. As it primarily unites European countries, the issue of security in Europe cannot be discussed without Russia and without NATO either, it is just impossible. It is necessary to determine the relationship between the states in the military sphere for cooperation in this area. And the absence of any interaction or any contact is very bad, and this kind of meeting brings benefits,’’ the director of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Center for the Study of the US at the M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University said.
The military commentator of TASS, retired colonel Victor Litovkin, on the other hand, noted that NATO and Russia will pursue different objectives at this meeting. ‘’The alliance is going to inform Russia about what decisions were taken at the summit in Warsaw, to convey to the country its concerns and anxieties, pose acute questions, demand to change its position on many international affairs and events. Also, the question of the predictability of sudden Russian checks and exercises will be put forward. NATO will explain to the Russian representative why additional battalions are being located in the Baltic countries, Poland and Romania, and what the US forces are doing there," the expert spoke about the agenda of the NATO meeting.
