MOSCOW, April 19 (RIA Novosti) - Russia comes out for cooperation with NATO being protected from the oscillations of the current political situation, spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yakovenko said in the interview given to RIA Novosti in connection with the meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (RNC) at the Ministerial level, slated to be held in Vilnius on April 21. Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov will participate in the meeting from the Russian side.
The spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that a major step - from former confrontation to constructive interaction on the basis of common interests - was made in relations with the alliance during a rather short historical period.
"As partners capable of assuming a significant part of the obligations to maintain regional security and stability in the world, within the Russia-NATO Council we can frankly discuss and work out decisions on settlement of crisis situations," he stressed.
As the diplomat noted, the meeting will be held in an informal regime, without an agenda approved beforehand.
"Due to the correctly chosen non-politicized formula of discussions of the real problems in the security sphere (it is intended to discuss, along with other problems, the problems of Afghanistan and Kosovo in Vilnius), the Russia-NATO Council has won a positive reputation against the background of other interstate associations," the diplomat noted.
At the same time he highlighted the fact that this dialogue "does not become and cannot become an alternative to our great work to readjust the OSCE and to build relations with the European Union, specifically within common space of external security."
"In our opinion, now is the most proper moment to give thought to the new possibilities of the Russia-NATO Council. We stand for moving our relations with the alliance to a more advanced level of partnership - through deepening operational interaction in reacting to the threats and challenges of common security (terrorism, drug trafficking, illegal migration, and human trafficking), development of military-technical cooperation, and joint participation in doing away with the consequences of technogenic catastrophes and natural calamities," Yakovenko said.
He noted that in the struggle against terrorism to which the Russia-NATO Council pays particular attention the sides switch over from statements "to joint practical measures."
According to Yakovenko, Moscow deems it necessary to step up the efforts to establish mechanisms for exchanging closed information, to develop cooperation along the lines of joint technological developments, and to hold joint exercises and training of counter terrorist units.
The spokesman for Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of Russia's joining the Active Endeavor counter terrorist operation of NATO in the Mediterranean.
"The preparation of Russian ships to the participation in the operation will be continued this year, and, as it is planned, they will start patrolling jointly with the ships of the alliance from the beginning of 2006," he said.
