On 13 July 2004, HE Mr Sergei Ivanov, Minister for Defence of the Russian Federation delivered a key note address on 'Russia and NATO: Strategic Partners Responding to Emerging Threats’ at the IISS.
Mr. Ivanov stated that only 10 years ago Russia’s partnership with NATO seemed to be a sort of “mission impossible” and now NATO and Russia are learning a new “chemistry of relations” providing for equal partnership and confidence. This new co-operation is focused on addressing new common threats and challenges including the threat of international terrorism which “is knocking at everyone’s door”.
Mr. Ivanov emphasised that Russia “readily and in a spirit of good will” provided assistance to Western partners in operations in Afghanistan by sharing intelligence, granting over flight rights and overland transit through the territory of Russia.
By signing the Rome declaration “Russia-NATO relations: a new quality” two years ago, NATO-Russia relation stepped up co-operation to a new level which has been filled with practical content. The Agenda of the NATO-Russia Council for the current year includes more then 100 items, 20 of which deal with naval problems. Mr. Ivanov elaborated in detail on practical co-operation in the sphere of developing inter-operability of doctrines and equipment, search-and-rescue at sea, peacekeeping and joint exercises, including “unprecedented transparency” in naval co-operation.
Mr. Ivanov expressed his hope that the positive experience of naval and peacekeeping cooperation maybe extended to other spheres of joint action. “We need a new, more profound and practical agenda in NATO-Russia relations”.
At the end, Mr. Ivanov emphasised that Russia has taken a “calmly negative” attitude to NATO enlargement and is particularly concerned about the fact that Baltic states, new NATO members, have not joined Conventional Forces and Europe Treaty. Russia’s anxiety, according to Mr. Ivanov, is based on the fact that an arms control grey zone has appeared in the heart of Europe for the first time in the last fifteen years.
