"NATO and Russia have profound and persistent disagreements. Today's meeting did not change that," Stoltenberg told reporters.
However, the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council proves that the sides are able to engage in a dialogue despite practical cooperation being suspended.
"We have suspended practical cooperation between NATO and Russia, but we decided that we would keep channels for political dialogue open and that's exactly what we have proven today, that we are able to sit down, talk, exchange views," Stoltenberg told reporters.
Increasing military transparency serves the interests of both Russia and NATO, Stoltenberg said.
"NATO allies expressed concern about last week's incident in the Baltic region involving Russian military aircraft. It is important to consider what steps we can all take to increase transparency and predictability… Military transparency can contribute to more security in Europe. This is in both NATO's and Russia's interests," Stoltenberg told reporters following a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.
"We have to remember that what NATO has done in the Baltic region with some increased military presence is a response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Russia's destabilizing behavior in eastern Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters following a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council.
Stoltenberg expects the NATO-Russia Council to meet again, though no specific dates have been set yet.
"The NATO-Russia Council was never suspended, so I expect that we are going to meet again. We didn't decide on any schedule for a next meeting, but since we never suspended the council I expect that we will meet again," Stoltenberg told reporters.
