07 December 2001

NATO-Russia Joint Statement on Enhanced Relationship

NATO and the Russian Federation have announced their commitment to a relationship of enhanced substance and contacts, pledging to explore and develop "new, effective mechanisms for consultation, cooperation, joint decision, and coordinated/joint action," and to have those mechanisms in place by the time of their meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, in May 2002.

In a statement issued December 7 at the foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, NATO and Russia also condemned terrorism "in all its manifestations," agreed to work together "to stand up to new threats and risks to our security," and again offered their condolences to the victims of September 11.

Following is the text of the joint statement:

Statement issued on the Occasion of the Meeting of the Permanent Joint Council at the Level of Foreign Ministers in Brussels on 7 December 2001

• Today we commit ourselves to forge a new relationship between NATO Allies and Russia, enhancing our ability to work together in areas of common interest and to stand up to new threats and risks to our security. We reaffirm that a confident and cooperative partnership between the Allies and Russia, based on shared democratic values and the shared commitment to a stable, peaceful and undivided Europe, as enshrined in the NATO-Russia Founding Act, is essential for stability and security in the Euro-Atlantic area. We have decided to give new impetus and substance to our partnership, with the goal of creating a new council bringing together NATO member states and Russia to identify and pursue opportunities for joint action at 20.

• We, the Ministers, will continue our dialogue on the process on which we have embarked today. Regular working contacts will also be maintained between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and NATO. The NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council has also tasked its Ambassadors to explore and develop, in the coming months, building on the Founding Act, new, effective mechanisms for consultation, cooperation, joint decision, and coordinated/joint action. We intend that such cooperative mechanisms beyond the current format will be in place for, or prior to, our meeting in Reykjavik in May 2002.

• We condemn terrorism in all its manifestations. We reiterate our deepest sympathies to the victims, and their families, of the September 11 and other terrorist attacks. We fully support UN Security Council Resolutions 1368 and 1373, and will spare no efforts in bringing to justice the perpetrators, organisers and sponsors of such acts and in defeating the scourge of terrorism.

• We are reminded by these tragic events that NATO and Russia face common threats that demand comprehensive, co-ordinated responses. We are encouraged by the strong spirit of partnership and co-operation that has evolved in the NATO-Russia relationship. We are intensifying our cooperation in the struggle against terrorism and in other areas, including crisis management, non-proliferation, arms control and confidence building measures, theatre missile defence, search and rescue at sea, military-to-military cooperation and civil emergencies, which represents a major step towards a qualitatively new relationship.