NATO-Russia Relations: A New Quality. Declaration by Heads of State and Government of NATO Member States and the Russian Federation

At the start of the 21st century we live in a new, closely interrelated world, in which unprecedented new threats and challenges demand increasingly united responses. Consequently, we, the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Russian Federation are today opening a new page in our relations, aimed at enhancing our ability to work together in areas of common interest and to stand together against common threats and risks to our security. As participants of the Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security, we reaffirm the goals, principles and commitments set forth therein, in particular our determination to build together a lasting and inclusive peace in the Euro-Atlantic area on the principles of democracy and cooperative security and the principle that the security of all states in the Euro-Atlantic community is indivisible. We are convinced that a qualitatively new relationship between NATO and the Russian Federation will constitute an essential contribution in achieving this goal. In this context, we will observe in good faith our obligations under international law, including the UN Charter, provisions and principles contained in the Helsinki Final Act and the OSCE Charter for European Security.

Building on the Founding Act and taking into account the initiative taken by our Foreign Ministers, as reflected in their statement of 7 December 2001, to bring together NATO member states and Russia to identify and pursue opportunities for joint action at twenty, we hereby establish the NATO-Russia Council. In the framework of the NATO-Russia Council, NATO member states and Russia will work as equal partners in areas of common interest. The NATO-Russia Council will provide a mechanism for consultation, consensus-building, cooperation, joint decision, and joint action for the member states of NATO and Russia on a wide spectrum of security issues in the Euro-Atlantic region.

The NATO-Russia Council will serve as the principal structure and venue for advancing the relationship between NATO and Russia. It will operate on the principle of consensus. It will work on the basis of a continuous political dialogue on security issues among its members with a view to early identification of emerging problems, determination of optimal common approaches and the conduct of joint actions, as appropriate. The members of the NATO-Russia Council, acting in their national capacities and in a manner consistent with their respective collective commitments and obligations, will take joint decisions and will bear equal responsibility, individually and jointly, for their implementation. Each member may raise in the NATO-Russia Council issues related to the implementation of joint decisions.

The NATO-Russia Council will be chaired by the Secretary General of NATO. It will meet at the level of Foreign Ministers and at the level of Defence Ministers twice annually, and at the level of Heads of State and Government as appropriate. Meetings of the Council at Ambassadorial level will be held at least once a month, with the possibility of more frequent meetings as needed, including extraordinary meetings, which will take place at the request of any Member or the NATO Secretary General.

To support and prepare the meetings of the Council a Preparatory Committee is established, at the level of the NATO Political Committee, with Russian representation at the appropriate level. The Preparatory Committee will meet twice monthly, or more often if necessary. The NATO-Russia Council may also establish committees or working groups for individual subjects or areas of cooperation on an ad hoc or permanent basis, as appropriate. Such committees and working groups will draw upon the resources of existing NATO committees.

Under the auspices of the Council, military representatives and Chiefs of Staff will also meet. Meetings of Chiefs of Staff will take place no less than twice a year, meetings at military representatives level at least once a month, with the possibility of more frequent meetings as needed. Meetings of military experts may be convened as appropriate.

The NATO-Russia Council, replacing the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council, will focus on all areas of mutual interest identified in Section III of the Founding Act, including the provision to add other areas by mutual agreement. The work programmes for 2002 agreed in December 2001 for the PJC and its subordinate bodies will continue to be implemented under the auspices and rules of the NATO-Russia Council. NATO member states and Russia will continue to intensify their cooperation in areas including the struggle against terrorism, 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. This cooperation may complement cooperation in other fora. As initial steps in this regard, we have today agreed to pursue the following cooperative efforts:

Struggle Against Terrorism: strengthen cooperation through a multi-faceted approach, including joint assessments of the terrorist threat to the Euro-Atlantic area, focused on specific threats, for example, to Russian and NATO forces, to civilian aircraft, or to critical infrastructure; an initial step will be a joint assessment of the terrorist threat to NATO, Russia and Partner peacekeeping forces in the Balkans.

Crisis Management: strengthen cooperation, including through: regular exchanges of views and information on peacekeeping operations, including continuing cooperation and consultations on the situation in the Balkans; promoting interoperability between national peacekeeping contingents, including through joint or coordinated training initiatives; and further development of a generic concept for joint NATO-Russia peacekeeping operations.

Non-Proliferation: broaden and strengthen cooperation against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and the means of their delivery, and contribute to strengthening existing non-proliferation arrangements through: a structured exchange of views, leading to a joint assessment of global trends in proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical agents; and exchange of experience with the goal of exploring opportunities for intensified practical cooperation on protection from nuclear, biological and chemical agents.

Arms Control and Confidence-Building Measures: recalling the contributions of arms control and confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs) to stability in the Euro-Atlantic area and reaffirming adherence to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) as a cornerstone of European security, work cooperatively toward ratification by all the States Parties and entry into force of the Agreement on Adaptation of the CFE Treaty, which would permit accession by non-CFE states; continue consultations on the CFE and Open Skies Treaties; and continue the NATO-Russia nuclear experts consultations.

Theatre Missile Defence: enhance consultations on theatre missile defence (TMD), in particular on TMD concepts, terminology, systems and system capabilities, to analyse and evaluate possible levels of interoperability among respective TMD systems, and explore opportunities for intensified practical cooperation, including joint training and exercises.

Search and Rescue at Sea: monitor the implementation of the NATO-Russia Framework Document on Submarine Crew Rescue, and continue to promote cooperation, transparency and confidence between NATO and Russia in the area of search and rescue at sea.

Military-to-Military Cooperation and Defence Reform: pursue enhanced military-to-military cooperation and interoperability through enhanced joint training and exercises and the conduct of joint demonstrations and tests; explore the possibility of establishing an integrated NATO-Russia military training centre for missions to address the challenges of the 21st century; enhance cooperation on defence reform and its economic aspects, including conversion.

Civil Emergencies: pursue enhanced mechanisms for future NATO-Russia cooperation in responding to civil emergencies. Initial steps will include the exchange of information on recent disasters and the exchange of WMD consequence management information.

New Threats and Challenges: In addition to the areas enumerated above, explore possibilities for confronting new challenges and threats to the Euro-Atlantic area in the framework of the activities of the NATO Committee on Challenges to Modern Society (CCMS); initiate cooperation in the field of civil and military airspace controls; and pursue enhanced scientific cooperation.

The members of the NATO-Russia Council will work with a view to identifying further areas of cooperation.

Statement by Gerhardt Schröder, Federal Chancellor of Germany

Secretary General, President Putin, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank Prime Minister Berlusconi for his invitation and hospitality and for his excellent preparation and organization of this summit. We are celebrating a historic event today. With the signing of the Declaration of Rome, relations between NATO and Russia will reach a whole new level. Russia is being included as an equal partner in the work of the North Atlantic Alliance on a number of important issues. The antagonism between East and West in Europe will thus finally be a thing of the past. The confrontation between the blocks has been overcome once and for all. We are ushering in a new era of trust and cooperation. With the signing of the Founding Act almost exactly five years ago, NATO and the Russian Federation drew the necessary conclusions from the dramatic transformation of the strategic environment after the disappearance of the Iron Curtain and the end of the East-West confrontation. The Founding Act will remain the bedrock of our relations. In the Founding Act, NATO and Russia committed themselves for the first time to cooperation in order to contribute to common and comprehensive security in Europe on the basis of shared values, obligations and rules of conduct. Cooperation in the previous forum, the Permanent Joint Council, was the first step. Initially it was a matter of moving from confrontation to systematic cooperation. Even if not all expectations have been fulfilled, we have become much closer in the last five years. Today we are going one step further and opening a new chapter in relations between NATO and Russia. With his forward-looking and resolute policy following the terrorist attacks of 11 September, President Putin created the crucial prerequisite for this to happen. In relations with NATO, he was keen to overcome ingrained mistrust and to jointly tackle international problems, such as terrorism. In the new NATO-Russia Council which now has to start operating quickly, Russia will work as an equal partner preparing Alliance decisions and bear joint responsibility with the NATO countries for their implementation. The work of the new forum will focus on areas which are of particular importance for guaranteeing security and stability. Let me just mention here the analysis of terrorist threats, strengthening arms control and confidence-building measures on nuclear weapons and protection from weapons of mass destruction. The first results are expected in time for the NATO summit in Prague in November this year. I would be delighted if we, President Putin, could then take stock of developments together. We have to be aware that the NATO-Russia Council can only be successful if all participants cooperate constructively on the basis of trust. We have shared interests. In day-to-day cooperation, our governments ought to be guided by these shared interests. To this end, I wish President Putin both good fortune and success as he continues to pursue his policy of opening up his country and hope we can all maintain the spirit of cooperation that inspires us today.

Statement by Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium

Intervention by Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium at the Meeting of the NATO-Russia Council

Chairman, Mister Presidents, Dear Colleagues,

This meeting marks a new stage, I would even say a revolution, in the relationship between the North Atlantic Alliance and the Russian Federation.
Today, in creating this Council at 20, we give new meaning to the cooperation between the Alliance and Russia. As from today, Russia will be directly associated with formulating our answers to new threats against stability and peace, in Europe and in -the rest of the world.

This is crucial for three reasons. First of all, for our relations, which today we raise at a higher level. This is indeed a milestone on the way to uniting the European continent. This has been made possible only because Russian society has profoundly transformed itself during the past decade. The values of democracy, rule of law and free market now constitute the basis of this society. It arc the values that have given rise to the common security interests that we share today. As from today. NATO and Russia will emphasise what unites them. not what separates them.

Secondly, through the Rome Declaration, Russia is recognised as a privileged partner. In this climate of confidence, the accession of new members to NATO should no longer raise strong emotions. Enlarging NATO, like adopting the Rome Declaration, is indeed about building the unity of Europe. Above all, it is about putting an end to the injustice caused by the cold war, which divided peoples without any consideration for their most profound aspirations. This is why the Belgian government is in favour of a broad enlargement.

Finally and thirdly, this new relationship will reinforce the political and military means at our disposal to defend and promote democracy, peace and stability on the continent and in the world. This Council and this.Cooperation with Russia opens new perspectives in crisis management. In the Balkans for instance, NATO and the European Union already work together, thus avoiding duplication of efforts. We must now further open this cooperation to Russia.

Furthermore, all our governments currently face budgetary restrictions. In this context, specialisation, pooling of resources, and even division of tasks and missions are ever more necessary. Of course, this evolution is the result of necessity. But above all, it is possible because of the trust we share.

Similarly, these new forms of cooperation will allow us to address together the challenges of war on terrorism. The events of September 11 have shown that all of us, Europeans, Russians, as well as Americans. face threats our societies were not prepared for. Today, to wage this war, we need a whole range of instruments: political, judicial, financial, economic and military. Still, we must be wary of one possible risk. I have no doubt that we must build the largest coalition possible against terrorism. However, in doing so, we can not associate ourselves with whatever regime or use whatever means. Indeed, the best way to combat terrorism is and will remain the defence and the promotion of the values of democracy, free speech, free press and free association. These are precisely the values that terrorism wants to destroy. These are the values that allowed us, in the past, to defeat fascism and communism. And I am sure these values, shared in common, will allow us to overcome terrorism.

Thank you.

Statement by Peter Medgyessy, Prime Minister of Hungary

Address by H.E. Dr. Péter Medgyessy Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary

Mr. Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I join you here today to deliver a clear message at a historic moment, on this unique occasion when the Alliance and Russia together form the solid foundation of an international effort for peace, security and prosperity.

It was yesterday, just before my departure to this Summit that I took my inaugural oath as Prime Minister of Hungary. The message my nation entrusted me to bring here is: commitment.

The commitment of my Government to keep our Alliance strong and effective.

The commitment to honour our obligations and meet our responsibilities.

The commitment to contribute to preserving NATO as the cornerstone of the Trans-Atlantic relationship, which has the right means and capabilities at its disposal to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The commitment to find new answers and methods as symbolised by the creation of this NATO-Russia Council, in order to meet these new challenges in the most efficient way possible.

Nous nous sommes rassemblés, comme les consignataires de la sécurité, la stabilité, la démocratie et la prospérité.

Nous ne pouvons atteindre et promouvoir ces valeurs que tous ensemble et en coopération. La nécessité de la coopération était renforcée encore de plus par la menace du terrorisme international. Aujourd'hui, il n'y a pas de doute: nous sommes déterminés á co-opérer.

Cette reconnaissance a rendu possible l'ouverture d'une nouvelle période de confiance et coopération entre l'OTAN et la Russie.

Notre devoir commun est maintenant d'établir les fondations les plus étendues possibles pour toutes les nations prêtes á s'engager dans la lutte contre le diable du terrorisme. Je perçois les nations alliées et la Russie dans le centre de cette lutte. Les mesures courageuses prises á la suite du 11 septembre m'ont convaincu de cette vérité.

Il'y a cinq ans que l'acte fondatrice OTAN-Russie á été signé.
Ce document assure toujours le fondement solide du dialogue entre l'Alliance et la Fédération Russe. Aujourd'hui, nous voulons affirmer notre contentement pour la perspective d'un cadre de coopération d'une qualité nouvelle et encore plus étroite. L'accord que nous allons adopter au cours de ce Sommet représente le succès de la coopération.

La Hongrie est prête á contribuer au travail du Conseil. Nous sommes convaincus que l'accord OTAN-Russie nous aidera aussi de développer un partenariat plus élevé et bénéficiaire entre les nations de l'Europe Centrale et Orientale et la Fédération de Russie.

Демократическая Россия является важным партнёром для Венгрии. Моё правительство и лично я готов исскать новые пути для углубления этого сотрудничества.

Вместе с другими странами-членами НАТО, Венгрия будет работать для того, чтобы раскрыть все возможности, представленные созданием нового Совета Россия-НАТО.

It is in this spirit that I wish all of us great success in transforming our relations based on common interests to a genuine co-operation, based on common values and a new and stronger partnership, that has winners only. Thank you for your attention.

Statement NATO-Russia Council

Today, we have launched a new era in NATO-Russia cooperation. 
We, the Heads of State and Government of the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the Russian Federation, have today signed a Declaration, "NATO-Russia Relations: A New Quality", establishing a new body, the NATO-Russia Council, which we are committed to making an effective forum for consensus-building, consultations, joint decisions and joint actions.

We enter into this new level of cooperation with a great sense of responsibility and equally great resolve to forge a safer and more prosperous future for all our nations.

In the NATO-Russia Council, NATO member states and Russia will work as equal partners in areas of common interest. Building on the Founding Act and its wide range of cooperation, the NATO-Russia Council will intensify efforts in the struggle against terrorism, crisis management, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control and confidence-building measures, theatre missile defence, search and rescue at sea, military-to-military cooperation and defence reform, and civil emergencies, as well as in other areas. We are united in our resolve to overcome the threats and challenges of our time.

We have agreed to an ambitious work programme that will guide our cooperation in the coming months. We will pursue specific projects in areas important to Euro-Atlantic security. We are determined to produce concrete results that will benefit the peace and security of all our people, and will contribute to steadily increasing cooperation between us.

We will take stock of our progress at future meetings.