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Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov On the Russia-Nato Council Session:

The meeting went well overall, chiefly because it resulted in the adoption of a working document that was drafted at Russia’s initiative and has gone through the inter-ministerial approval process. This document sums up the results of the Russia-NATO Council’s work over the four years since it was established and lists the set of agreements we have on how to continue improving the quality of our equal cooperation. It sets out the steps for further work on implementing the previously approved Russia-NATO Council action plan for combating international terrorism, including additional steps to organise exchange of information, hold training exercises for anti-terrorist units and take action to prevent cyber-terrorism.

This document also sets out the measures we will implement over the coming period to expand our cooperation in areas such as ensuring operational compatibility of our military contingents, air defence systems, airspace control and building up our potential to react to technological and other emergency situations, including natural disasters. It also sets out a number of very concrete measures to step up the fight against drugs trafficking from Afghanistan. Regarding this area, our NATO colleagues are still not ready for now to organise cooperation with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, although we did bring to their attention once again the objective benefits that such cooperation would have.

We made clear our position that we will continue to develop our mutually beneficial cooperation with NATO in the areas we have agreed on, and we will build our relations with NATO overall depending on what direction the internal transformation process in the alliance takes, and also depending on NATO’s expansion plans and, in general, the extent to which the principles of international law are observed and Russia’s legitimate interests are taken into account in the context of the changing geopolitical situation in the world.

President Vladimir Putin: Thank you. Are you happy with the results?

Sergei Lavrov: We are happy with this particular document. It has been approved and everyone has welcomed it. It really does enable us to deepen our cooperation on an equal basis.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

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