NATO Striving for More Constructive Relations With Russia – Stoltenberg

NATO is interested in building more constructive relations with Moscow, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — He also welcomed the fact that the alliance has been able to "reactivate the political dialogue with Russia" in 2016 with three NATO-Russia Council (NRC) meetings.

"Russia is a neighbor, Russia is there to stay, and we are striving for a more constructive relationship with Russia," Stoltenberg told journalists in Brussels, unveiling NATO’s 2016 annual report.

The NATO-Russia Council was established in 2002 to serve as a consultation platform on current security issues and for cooperation in areas of common interest. Practical cooperation under the NRC was suspended in April 2014 after Crimea's reunification with Russia following a referendum. The council still held three meetings in 2016, with the latest round taking place on December 19.