Official website of the President of Russia

Rome, Italy

May 28, 2002

Today, we have launched a new era in NATO-Russia cooperation.

We, the Heads of State and Government of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Russian Federation, have today signed a Declaration, ”NATO-Russia Relations: A New Quality“, establishing a new body, the NATO-Russia Council, which we are committed to making an effective forum for consensus-building, consultations, joint decisions and joint actions.

We enter into this new level of cooperation with a great sense of responsibility and equally great resolve to forge a safer and more prosperous future for all our nations.

In the NATO-Russia Council, NATO member states and Russia will work as equal partners in areas of common interest. Building on the Founding Act and its wide range of cooperation, the NATO-Russia Council will intensify efforts in the struggle against terrorism, crisis management, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control and confidence-building measures, theatre missile defence, search and rescue at sea, military-to-military cooperation and defence reform, and civil emergencies, as well as in other areas. We are united in our resolve to overcome the threats and challenges of our time.

We have agreed to an ambitious work programme that will guide our cooperation in the coming months. We will pursue specific projects in areas important to Euro-Atlantic security. We are determined to produce concrete results that will benefit the peace and security of all our people, and will contribute to steadily increasing cooperation between us.

We will take stock of our progress at future meetings.