NATO–Russia relations

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NATO-Russian relations cover the cooperation between NATO military alliance and Russia.

Contents

[edit] Early cooperation (1991-2002)

Formal contacts and cooperation between Russia and NATO start in 1991, within the framework of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (later re-named Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council) and are further deepened as Russia joined the Partnership for Peace programme on June 22nd, 1994 [1]

On 27 May, 1997, at 1997 Paris summit of NATO, sides signed a Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security[2], a road map for future NATO-Russia cooperation. Both sides state they do not see each other as adversaries, and have political commitment to cooperate at creating "lasting and inclusive" peace in Euro-Atlantic area.

[edit] NATO–Russia Council

Meeting of the Russia–NATO council in Bucharest, Romania on 4 April 2008

The NATO-Russia Council, created on 28 May 2002, during summit in Rome, has been an official diplomatic tool for handling security issues and joint projects between NATO and Russia, involvilng "consensus-building, consultations, joint decisions and joint actions." [3] [4]

"Joint decisions and actions", taken under NATO-Russia Council agreements, include fighting terrorism[5][6], military cooperation (joint military exercises[7] and personnel training[8]), cooperation on Afghanistan (Russia providing training courses for anti-narcotics officers from Afghanistan and Central Asia countries in cooperation with the UN), transportation by Russia of non-military freight in support of NATO's ISAF in Afghanistan, industrial cooperation, cooperation on defence interoperability, non-proliferation, and other areas.[9]

Because NATO and Russia have similar ambitions and mutual challenges, the NATO-Russia Council is seen by both sides as effective at building diplomatic agreements between all parties involved in 2002 - first half of 2008. The heads of state for NATO Allies and Russia gave a positive assessment of NATO-Russia Council achievements in a Bucharest summit meeting in April 2008.[4]

[edit] Conflicts of interests

[edit] Russian Flying Patrols

In August 2007, the Russian Air Force began flying long-range patrols through neutral international waters in the Atlantic Ocean. These were the first long-range Tupolev Tu-95 and Tu-160 bomber patrols since the end of the Cold War. Though taken in the international airspace, these patrols gave rise to considerable media anxiety within NATO member states, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice commented the Bush administration was "unhappy" with the sorties. [10] [11] US fighters scrambled several times to follow Russian planes coming near the U.S. territorial waters[12]. The Russian bomber has also buzzed the USS Nimitz supercarrier on February 11, 2008. Four F/A-18A fighter jets scrambled to follow the bomber.[13] Overall, the U.S. NORAD crews had to scramble U.S. fighter jets 46 times in 2007.[14]

In August 2007 then-President of Russia Vladimir Putin said that 15-years halt in long-range bombers’ patrols had affected Russia’s security as "other nations" had continued strategic aircraft missions. [15] Vladimir Putin was presumably referring to the U.S. air patrols. [16]Flights by strategic bombers were resumed by Russia, with many other close encounters and airspace disputes resulting near Alaska and Northern England.

[edit] Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

See also: International recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

The North Atlantic Council condemned Russia for recognizing the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of Georgia as independent states.[17] The Secretary General of NATO claimed that Russia's recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia violated numerous UN Security Council resolutions, including resolutions endorsed by Russia.[18]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Formal NATO-Russia Relations
  2. ^ Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation Paris, 27 May 1997
  3. ^ NATO-Russia council Statement
  4. ^ a b NATO's relations with Russia
  5. ^ NATO-Russia council on Terrorism
  6. ^ NATO-Russia to practise anti-terrorist response
  7. ^ RFS and NATO ships joint manoeuvres
  8. ^ Allies and Russia attend U.S. Nuclear Weapons Accident Exercise
  9. ^ Fact sheet of NATO-Russia Council practical cooperation
  10. ^ Rian on Russian air patrols
  11. ^ BBC on Russian air patrols
  12. ^ (CNN)
  13. ^ Russian bomber buzzes U.S. aircraft carrier
  14. ^ Russian bombers have NORAD on guard
  15. ^ (AP via MSNBC)
  16. ^ BBC on Russian air patrols
  17. ^ http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2008/p08-108e.html
  18. ^ http://www.nato.int/docu/pr/2008/p08-107e.html

[edit] External links

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