Fact Sheet: Nato-Russia Relations

The NATO-Russia Council met at the level of Foreign Ministers in parallel with today's NATO Summit meeting. The NATO-Russia relationship is an important part of NATO's transformation. Together, NATO and Russia have pledged to work together as partners to address challenges in the 21st century.

Today's NATO-Russia cooperation is based on an agreed work plan developed in accordance with guidance NATO and Russia leaders agreed to at their May 2002 Summit meeting in Italy.

Over the past two years, NATO and Russia have intensified their cooperation, for example by agreeing to:

• Launch a military-to-military interoperability program to allow Russian and NATO troops to operate jointly;
• Conduct civil emergency exercises in Russia and develop a multinational rapid deployment capability for civil emergencies;
• Complete joint assessments of terrorist threats;
• Cooperate on submarine search and rescue; and
• Conduct a Joint Theater Missile Defense Command Post Exercise in Colorado Springs in March 2004.

Today, in response to NATO's offer, Russia announced its agreement to join Operation Active Endeavor, NATO's anti-terrorist naval operations in the Mediterranean.