NATO welcomes contact on a bilateral level between NATO-allied countries and Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the alliance summit due on May 25.
"We have seen different meetings, foreign ministers, some of them also met with president Putin," TASS cited the NATO secretary general as saying.
"NATO is working for a more constructive and cooperative relationship with Russia and that’s also the reason why we are continuing our dialogue with Russia," the Secretary General explained. "It’s not easy, but that’s exactly why it is important, because we are addressing so many difficult issues like Ukraine, military activities, the need for more transparency, predictability. These issues are important because we have to solve these issues to be able to defuse tensions and to get to a better relationship," Stoltenberg stressed
When speaking of the Russia-NATO Council meetings held in 2016, he noted that "there has been a good and frank atmosphere in the meeting." "We have discussed Ukraine, but also discussed our military posture, briefed on exercises, and I think, that’s at least one step in the right direction," he added.
"Our message is that we have a dual-track approach: we need unity, we need deterrence, defense and alliance, but at the same time we are pursuing dialogue because Russia is our neighbor, Russia is there to stay. Russia is a neighbor which we would like to develop a better relationship with," Stoltenberg stressed.
