A forthcoming Russia-NATO summit in Lisbon will help Russia find common ground with its European neighbors on the issue of European security, a Russian envoy to NATO said on Tuesday.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said earlier on Tuesday that he would attend the Russia-NATO summit on November 20, part of NATO Lisbon summit on November 19-20.
"Emphasis will be placed on the Russian ideas, on Russia's proposals and on our vision of the future of Europe," Dmitry Rogozin said in an interview with Rossiya 24 television news channel.
President Medvedev proposed drawing up a new European security pact in June 2008, and Russia published a draft of the treaty in December 2009, sending copies to heads of state and international organizations, including NATO. However, the proposal has been met coolly by Western powers.
"This is a chance for us and a chance for the West to try to find common interests at a political level and try not just to hold talks, but also to do something together to deter threats," Rogozin said.
Rogozin earlier said he hoped the Russian-NATO Council summit in Lisbon would help clarify preparations for the European missile defense plan.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has repeatedly said that NATO wants Russia to be part of a missile defense plan for Europe, but Russia says a serious assessment of missile risks should be carried out before starting on the project.
MOSCOW, October 19 (RIA Novosti)
