#6278
#6
White House
28 May 2002
Fact Sheet: NATO-Russia Council
(Issued in conjunction with the NATO-Russia summit, May 28 in Italy)
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Following is a fact sheet from the White House on the new NATO-Russia Council issued in conjunction with the May 28 NATO-Russia summit at the Pratica di Mare Airbase in Rome, Italy:
(begin fact sheet)
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
(Rome, Italy)
May 28, 2002
FACT SHEET
NATO-Russia
-- Reflecting the transformed relationship between NATO and Russia, President Bush and the other NATO Heads of State and Government have agreed with Russian President Putin to establish the NATO-Russia Council (NRC).
-- The creation of the NRC opens a new era in NATO-Russia relations, providing opportunities for consultation, joint decision, and joint action on a wide range of issues.
-- The NRC will focus on specific, well-defined projects where NATO and Russia share a common goal. NATO and Russia have agreed on an initial, specific workplan, which includes projects in the following areas:
-- Assessment of the terrorist threat -- Crisis management -- Non-proliferation -- Arms Control and Confidence-Building Measures -- Theater Missile Defense -- Search and Rescue at Sea -- Military-to-Military Cooperation -- Defense Reform -- Civil Emergencies -- New Threats and Challenges (including scientific cooperation and airspace management)
-- Other projects may be added as the NRC develops.
-- The NRC does not affect NATO's existing responsibilities as a political and military alliance based on collective defense. The NRC does not provide Russia a veto over NATO decisions or action. The NATO Allies retain the freedom to act, by consensus, on any issue at any time.
-- NATO Allies will decide among themselves the issues they will address in the NRC, as well as the extent to which they will take a common position on these issues.
-- Representatives from Moscow first took part in meetings at NATO in 1991, as part of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC). In 1997, the NATO-Russia "Founding Act" established a NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC). The PJC held its last meeting in Reykjavik on May 14, 2002.
-- NATO-Russia cooperation since the Founding Act has taken a variety of forms. Russian troops have participated in the NATO-led SFOR and KFOR operations, and discussions in the PJC addressed issues such as non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control, and defense reform.
-- NATO has also established an Information Office in Moscow, where NGOs, academic institutions, and interested Russian citizens can obtain firsthand information about NATO.
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