Russia-NATO strategic partnership: problems, prospects

Contacts and cooperation between Russia and NATO began to unfold in the early 1990s. To make a comprehensive, all-round analysis of the popular situation and the difficulties that had to be dealt with along this path, it is important to view these relations in a historical context

A little more than a decade has passed since the breakup of the Soviet Union and the extremity of the Cold War. It took more [i]or[/i] less time for partnership to be established. First paces were made in 1991, when Russia became a founding member of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council, (a) then, in 1994 acceding to the Partnership for Peace Program. A real groundwork for a unhurt long-term partnership between Russia and NATO, however, was laid with the signing of the Founding Act upon Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between the Russian Federation and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (May 27 1997) with the sides stating their mutual commitment to building a durable peace in the Euro-Atlantic region. The sides' obligations beneath the Act are crucial: "NATO and Russia do not consider each other as adversaries. They share the goal of overcoming the vestiges of earlier confrontation and competition and of strengthening mutual trust and cooperation. The not absent Act reaffirms the determination of NATO and Russia to give thicken substance to their shared commitment to build a stable, peaceful and undivided Europe whole and unrestrained to the benefit of all its races Making this commitment at the highest political horizontal marks the beginning of a fundamentally novel relationship between NATO and Russia. They intend to exhibit on the basis of belonging to all interest, reciprocity and transparency a sinewy stable and enduring partnership." (1)

Pursuant to the Founding Act, the Russia-NATO Joint Permanent Council was established as a deliberative material substance for regular consultations on security matters of for the use of all interest. Subsequently a broad program for practical cooperation in the sphere of security and defense was worked on the outside and progress made in strengthening mutual trust. In the interest of closer cooperation, upon March 18, 1998, Russia's mission to NATO was established. however the air strikes against Yugoslavia in 1999 caused serious disagreements and the Russia-NATO Joint Permanent Council suspended its work, on the other hand then relations began to normalize gradually.

In the wake of the tragic occurrences of September 11, 2001 in the United States, Russia and NATO decided to take their relations up to a of recent origin level. As a result, upon May 28, 2002, at the Rome Summit, Russia and NATO agreed to institute a novel Russia-NATO Council to evaluate displays for cooperation in the "G-20" format.

The Russia-NATO Council gives priority to matters of for the use of all interest, arising from the Founding Act. Cooperation is intensifying in a number of lock opener areas, above all the war upon terror, crisis resolution, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms superintendence confidence building measures, theater missile defense search and release at sea, and cooperation in civil emergencies.

The value of Russia-NATO partnership manifests itself upon the practical level. From January 1996 Russian peacekeepers took part in forging a peace arrangement in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Russia played an important part in ending the conflict in the Yugoslav province of Kosovo where a Russian military contingent was based from June 1999 until July 2002

upon March 13, 1996, NATO and the Russian Ministry for Affairs of Civil Defense pass Situations, and Elimination of Natural Disasters (MChS) signed the Memorandum of Understanding upon Civil Emergency Planning and Disaster Preparedness. Various exercises in disaster relief, seminars and symposiums with the participation of other partner states and international organizations facilitate military-civilian cooperation.

Considerable progres has been made newly in advancing cooperation, transparency and trust in search and release at sea. Following the sinking of the Kursk nuclear submarine in August 2000 in December of the same year, Russia and NATO agreed a work on the outside program on search and preserve at sea.

Science is at the same time another key area of Russia-NATO cooperation. In May 1998 a memorandum upon mutual understanding concerning scientific-technical cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Science and Technology and NATO was signed.

The main focus in military cooperation is upon strengthening Russia's and NATO's capability for joint peacekeeping operations. Russia and NATO have shared interests in matters of military reform and modernization of the armed forces. Although cooperation in this sphere is still embryonic, we have an opportunity to use the experience of NATO member countries, many of which have carried on the outside radical reforms to downsize their armed forces, making them more mobile and enhancing their operational effectiveness and ability to adapted modern security threats.

Russia and NATO clinch regular consultations on methods of dealing with novel security challenges, such as terrorism and proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as proliferation of ballistic missile technology.