Moscow agrees with NATO not in everything but "does not dramatize" differences

The plan of cooperation of Russia and the North-Atlantic alliance for 2004 will be approved at the regular meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (RNC) at the level of Defense Ministers in Brussels on December 1, Russia's permanent representative to NATO Konstantin Totsky told RIA Novosti.

As he said, the plan will provide for many concrete activities, and the matter concerns not only the Russian participation in NATO exercises. The sides' military experts carry out, for instance, "serious developments" in the field of joint theater missile defense. The struggle against terrorism, logistical and military support, scientific research, ecology, and doing away with emergency civil situations are other spheres of cooperation, Totsky said.

Moscow and NATO "have differences, agree with each other not in everything, but this is normal and we do not dramatize the situation," Russia's representative stated.

He expressed regret in connection with George Robertson's resignation as NATO Secretary-General scheduled for December.

Robertson "is a good Secretary-General but we hope that his successor will also successfully direct the work of the alliance and of our Council," Russia's permanent representative to NATO said.

According to him, he sees his task in Russia's relations with NATO becoming "irreversible".