NATO doesn't want a new Cold War and will make every effort to maintain a political dialogue with Moscow, NATO head Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with DPA last week.
"We must take into account the fact that we are dealing with a more self-confident Russia. At the same time, it must be clear: we don't want a new Cold War and we don't want a new arms race. We want a political dialogue with Russia — even though it won't be easy," Stoltenberg said.
The statement comes amid worsening relations between Moscow and the military alliance. The NATO Secretary General expressed hope that contacts between Russia and NATO would be intensified.
"I expect that we will have more meetings, and that we will also use the military communication channels more often. There is progress in both areas and the whole alliance supports it," Stoltenberg stated.
In November of last year, NATO members agreed upon a new adaptive command structure to improve the alliance's ability to move military forces across Europe. According to Stoltenberg, the new command structure will further strengthen NATO's capability of quickly and effectively reinforcing its allies.
READ MORE: NATO's New Reforms Likely to Undermine Developing Relationship With Russia
The move was in light of the unprecedented NATO military buildup in Eastern Europe which has been further boosted since 2014 in the wake of the crisis in Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly voiced its protest against NATO's military buildup, saying that it could undermine regional stability and result in a new arms race.
