By Ben Thomas
Yesterday’s NATO-Russia Council meeting in New York promised to deepen relations between NATO and Russia, with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen explaining that both parties had a ‘shared desire’ to push further on a number of key issues. Building on his speech in Rome last week Mr. Rasmussen highlighted areas where NATO and Russia can increase cooperation, including joint support for counter-narcotics operations in Afghanistan and cooperation to deal with increased threats from terrorism and piracy.
However, top of the agenda was NATO’s desire to include Russia in any negotiations regarding a European missile defence system. In his Rome speech Mr. Rasmussen claimed that today’s threats to European security come increasingly from out-with Europe, and that in consequence the security of all European states – including Russia – is becoming increasingly ‘indivisible’. He also explained that progress in missile defence cooperation would pave the way for greater progress in re-energising the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty—which NATO sees as a vital way of maintaining European stability—and in reducing the number of short-range nuclear weapons in Europe. The New York Council meeting seemed to build upon this message, with both parties confident that it would be possible to agree to basic principles on the CFE by November, when a NATO-Russia summit is expected to occur alongside the main NATO summit in Lisbon.
Mr Rasmussen’s message in Rome was that ‘trust builds trust and progress builds progress’ and this was a message continued in New York. The NATO Secretary General was adamant that, despite some major disagreements between the parties over Georgia and Moldova, further cooperation was both necessary and desirable and to that end the general spirit of the meeting had been a positive one.