Stoltenberg offers convening NATO-Russia Council meeting

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has proposed to hold a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.

"I would like to invite Russia once again to take part in the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council as soon as possible," the NATO chief said, stressing that "we have so much to discuss, this is in the common interests of NATO and Russia."

Further, among the key topics of the talks, he named "mutual exchange of military maneuvers to prevent misunderstandings and possible escalation", as well as "transparency regarding military actions of the parties to prevent accidental accidents in the air and at sea."

According to Stoltenberg, negotiations are necessary because relations between NATO and Russia are currently at a low level. "We have not seen such a low level of bilateral relations since the end of the Cold War. Dialogue is the best way to reduce tensions," Die Welt cited him as saying.