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NATO-Russia Council

Russian representatives first took part in meetings at NATO in 1991, as part of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NAAC). In 1997, the NATO-Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security established the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council (PJC). The PJC held its last meeting on May 14, 2002 in Reykjavik.

The NATO-Russia Council (NRC) was established via a Declaration on "NATO-Russian Relations: A New Quality," at a NATO-Russia Summit in Rome on May 28, 2002. It formally replaced the PJC as the primary forum for consultation and cooperation between NATO members and Russia. The NRC became a mechanism for consultation, consensus-building, cooperation, joint decision and joint action, in which the individual NATO member states and Russia work as equal partners on a wide spectrum of security issues of common interest.

The member countries of the NRC agree on an annual work program every year. Cooperation in the organization is developed through various subordinate working groups and committees. Essential areas of cooperation the fight against terrorism, defense reform, military-to-military cooperation, counter-narcotics training of Afghan and Central Asian personnel, theatre missile defense, crisis management and non-proliferation. Russia also cooperates with NATO in airspace management, civil emergency planning, scientific cooperation and environmental security. In addition, the Allies and Russia regularly exchange views on current security issues in the Euro-Atlantic area, thereby creating a standing mechanism for consultation on larger political issues.

The NRC has provided a forum for the development of a continuous political dialogue on current security issues, which has expanded steadily to include frank and constructive exchanges on topical and sometimes controversial issues. Discussions have included subjects such as the Balkans, Afghanistan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Central Asia, the Middle East and Iraq, as well as exchanges on issues such as NATO's transformation, energy security and missile defense.

Concrete recommendations were made to strengthen existing non-proliferation arrangements. A number of in-depth discussions and expert seminars took place in order to explore opportunities for practical cooperation in the protection against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons.

The NRC also provided a forum for frank discussions on issues related to conventional arms control. As of July 2, 2007, a key priority for all NRC countries was to work towards the ratification of the Adapted Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe. For this to occur, NATO member countries continued to wait for Russia to fulfill commitments it made at the summit meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Istanbul in 1999, concerning the withdrawal of its troops from Georgia and Moldova.

Cooperation in the area of theatre missile defense addressed the unprecedented danger posed to deployed forces by the increasing availability of ever more accurate ballistic missiles. A study launched in 2003 assessed the possible levels of interoperability among the theatre missile defense systems of NATO Allies and Russia. Three command post exercises were held (the first in the United States in March 2004, the second in the Netherlands in March 2005, and the third in Russia in October 2006) to provide the basis for future improvements to interoperability and to develop mechanisms and procedures for joint operations in the area of theatre missile defense.

Significant progress was likewise made on the Cooperative Airspace Initiative, which aimed to foster cooperation between NRC countries on airspace surveillance and air traffic management. The underlying goal was to enhance transparency, predictability and collective capabilities to fight terrorism. Detailed system requirements and a project plan were agreed for a system that would enable the reciprocal exchange of air traffic data between centers in NATO countries and in Russia. Implementation began in March 2006. As of mid-2007, operational, training and exercise concepts and coordination procedures are also being developed.

Since the NRC was established, military liaison arrangements have been enhanced. A key objective of military-to-military cooperation was to improve the ability of NATO and Russian forces to work together in preparation for possible future joint military operations. A program was established to develop interoperability, in which training and exercises were an integral component. The "Political-Military Guidance Towards Enhanced Interoperability Between Forces of Russia and NATO Nations," which was approved by NRC defense ministers in June 2005, added further impetus to such efforts.

Another key document was the Partnership for Peace Status of Forces Agreement, which Russia signed in 2004 and the Russian parliament ratified in May 2007. It facilitated further military-to-military and other practical cooperation, in particular the deployment of forces participating in joint operations and exercises. Furthermore, it enhanced Russia logistical support to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Terrorism and Operation Active Endeavor

Cooperation in the struggle against terrorism included the regular exchange of information, in-depth consultation, joint threat assessments, civil emergency planning for terrorist attacks, high-level dialogue on the role of the military in combating terrorism and on the lessons learned from previous terrorist attacks, and scientific and technical cooperation. NATO Allies and Russia also cooperated in areas related to terrorism such as border control, non proliferation, airspace management, and nuclear safety.

In December 2004, NRC foreign ministers approved a comprehensive NRC Action Plan on Terrorism, aimed at improving overall coordination and strategic direction of NRC cooperation in this area.

Moreover, since December 2004, joint pre-deployment training has been underway to prepare Russian ships to support Operation Active Endeavor (OAE), NATO's maritime counter-terrorist operation in the Mediterranean. The Russian frigate RFS Pitliviy deployed in support of OAE in September 2006 and another ship started preparing in early 2007 for deployment later in the year.

"Operation Active Endeavor" is a naval patrol of the Mediterranean by the NATO alliance and its regional partners monitoring maritime activity to help detect, deter and respond to terrorism and other transnational threats.

Approximately 30 percent of the world's maritime traffic and 65 percent of the oil and gas consumed in Western Europe pass through the Mediterranean, making the region a key strategic zone and a potentially attractive terrorist target. NATO forces have enhanced regional security under Active Endeavor, monitoring more than 81,000 ships, boarding 102 and providing escorts to 488 others. In addition, alliance ships have acted in several instances to rescue dozens of civilians from damaged oil platforms and sinking ships.