The evolution of relations

The ideological and political division of Europe ended in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in 1991, and with the emergence of security challenges in the post-Cold War environment, NATO began establishing new forms of dialogue and cooperation with the countries of central and Eastern Europe and the member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Cooperation in complex field conditions in the Balkans significantly reinforced mutual trust and strengthened the political will to take NATO-Russia cooperation to a new level. That transformation occurred in May 1997, with the signature of the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security which provided the formal basis for NATO-Russia relations. It expressed the common goal of building a lasting peace and established the Permanent Joint Council as a forum for consultation and cooperation.

Several key events accelerated the process. On August, 12, 2000 the nuclear submarine Kursk sank killing 118 crewmen aboard, highlighting the urgent need for cooperation between NATO and Russia in responding to such tragic accidents. The terrorist attacks of the United States of September, 11, 2001 also emphasized the necessity of concerted international action to effectively combat terrorism and other common threats and challenges.

The NATO-Russia Council

After intensive negotiations the parties managed to achieve a breakthrough and issued a joint declaration “NATO-Russia Relations: a New Quality” in May, 2002.In this declaration the parties pledged to enhance their ability to work together as equals in areas of common interest and to stand together against common threats and risks to the security.

The NATO-Russia Council was also established by the agreement. The meetings of the Council are chaired by the NATO Secretary General and are held at different levels – at least once a month at the level of ambassadors, twice a year at ministerial level at summit level in urgent cases. Meetings are also held once a month between military representatives and twice a year at the level of chiefs of defense staff. The areas of common interests and concern for Russia and NATO include: combating terrorism, crisis management, non-proliferation, arms control and confidence-building measures, theatre missile defense, logistics, military-to-military cooperation, defense reform and civil emergencies.

The NRC has created several working groups and committees to develop cooperation in these areas and others, such as scientific cooperation and challenges of modern society. Views are also exchanged on current international issues affecting the security of the Euro-Atlantic area, such as the situation in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Georgia, Ukraine, Iraq, and the broader Middle East region.

Since its establishment, the NRC has evolved into a productive mechanism for consultation, consensus-building, cooperation, joint decision-making and joint action has become a fundamental pillar of the NATO-Russia partnership. The positive evolution of NATO-Russia cooperation offers good prospects for its future and its further development.

The fight against terrorism

Nowhere have positions between NATO member countries and Russia converged more clearly than in the fight against terrorism, which has become a major threat to international security and stability and requires an increasingly coordinated response. In the summer of 2004 a number of tragic events perpetrated by terrorists made the ambassadors strongly condemn terrorism in all its manifestations and renew their determination to strengthen and intensify common efforts to eliminate this shared threat.

Specific aspects of combating terrorism are also a key focus of activities in many areas of cooperation under the NRC, such as civil emergency planning, non-proliferation, airspace management, theatre missile defense, defense reform and scientific cooperation.

Addressing other new security threats

The aim is to establish a level of force interoperability that would enable NATO and Russia to work together quickly and effectively to counter ballistic missile threats against NATO and Russian troops engaged in a joint mission.

A NRC initiative on chemical, biological and protection is underway. Joint work is also being taken forward on nuclear issues and cooperation against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The cooperation is also being undertaken in the field of airspace management to enhance air safety and transparency and to counter the threat of the potential use of civilian aircraft for terrorist purposes.

Defense Reform

Russia and NATO member countries share an interest in defense reform, given the common need for armed forces that are appropriately sized, trained and equipped to deal with the full spectrum of 21^st century threats. The cooperation in the area of defense reform covers many different aspects including resource management, defense industry conversion, defense and force planning, and macro-economic, financial and social issues. Other areas of cooperation include managing military nuclear waste, strategic air transport and military infrastructure engineering, and logistics interoperability of NATO and Russian forces is also underway.

Military to Military Cooperation

A key objective of military-to-military cooperation is to improve interoperability between Russia and Allied forces, since modern militaries must be able to operate within multinational command and force structures when called upon to work together in peace-support and other crisis-management operations.

Progress in arms control

NATO and Russia also discuss issues related to arms control and confidence-building measures. Within this framework they reaffirmed their commitment to the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) as a cornerstone of European security.

Civil emergencies and disaster relief

The countries coordinate assistance from member countries to refugee relief operations during different conflicts, operations are also called upon to coordinate relief in the wake of flooding, earthquakes, landslides, fires and other disasters in different Partner countries.

Scientific and environmental cooperation

A key focus of current scientific cooperative activities under the NRC is the application of civil science to defense against terrorism and new threats, such as in explosives detection, examining the social and psychological impact of terrorism, protection against chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents, cyber-security and transport security. Environmental protection problems arising from civilian and military activities are another important area of cooperation.

Scanning

1. Say whether the statements are true or false. Give the correct variant:

1. NATO member countries have always regarded a positive relationship with Russia as a top priority.

2. The tragic events of September, 11 accelerated the revitalization of the bilateral relations between NATO and Russia.

3. The meetings of the NATO-Russia Council are held regularly.

4. The cooperation between NATO and Russia is fruitful.

5. NATO and Russia do not conduct any joint military training exercises as the problem is not acute.

2. Answer the questions on the text:

1. How could the relations between NATO and Russia be characterized after World War II?

2. What was the antagonism between the parties based on?

3. What issues are the relations between NATO and Russia focused on?

4. What body represents the joint efforts of NATO and Russia in establishing friendly relations?

5. What event marked a breakthrough in the relations between NATO and Russia?

6. What document established the basis for NATO-Russia relations?

7. When was NATO-Russia Council founded?

8. Who chairs the meetings of the Council?

9. What are the areas of common interest and concern for NATO and Russia?

10. What does the cooperation between NATO and Russia in the main spheres consist in?

3. Comment on the following statements:

1. Since the end of the Cold War, NATO member countries have regarded the development of a positive relationship and cooperation with Russia as a priority.

2. Today NATO member states and Russia share strategic priorities and face common challenges.

3. Several key events accelerated the process of improving NATO-Russia relations.

4. Since its establishment the NATO-Russia Council has become a fundamental pillar of the NATO-Russia partnership.

5. Nowhere have positions between NATO and Russia converged more clearly than in the fight against terrorism.

6. Russia and NATO member countries share an interest in defense reform.

7. A key objective of military-to-military cooperation between NATO and Russia is to improve interoperability between Russia and Allied forces.

Speaking

1. Complete the following table:

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