NATO-RUSSIA COUNCIL …

                              NATO-RUSSIA COUNCIL
                       PRACTICAL COOPERATION FACT SHEET


Introduction
In 1997 NATO and Russia signed the NATO-Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations,
Cooperation and Security, which provided the formal basis for NATO-Russia relations and
led to the development of a bilateral programme of consultation and cooperation under the
Permanent Joint Council (PJC).

In 2002 the relationship was given new impetus and substance with the signature of the
Rome Declaration on "NATO-Russia relations: A New Quality", which established the
NATO-Russia Council. At that time NRC Heads of State and Government agreed to
enhance their ability to work together in areas of common interest and to stand together
against common threats and risks to their countries' security.

The 2008 NRC Summit in Bucharest is the first such event since the signature of the
Rome Declaration. It will examine how NRC work over the last six years has implemented
the objectives and principles of the Rome Declaration what can be done in order to
implement them even more effectively in the future.

Over the last six years the NATO-Russia Council has developed a number of practical
cooperation projects in the following areas of common interest.

NRC Practical Cooperation

Struggle Against Terrorism
NATO-Russia Cooperation in the struggle against terrorism has taken the form of regular
exchanges of information, in-depth consultation, joint threat assessments, civil emergency
planning for terrorist attacks, high-level dialogue on the role of the military in combating
terrorism and on the lessons learned from recent terrorist attacks, and scientific and
technical cooperation. NATO Allies and Russia also cooperate in areas related to terrorism
such as border control, non-proliferation, airspace management, and nuclear safety.

In December 2004, NRC foreign ministers approved a comprehensive NRC Action Plan
on Terrorism, aimed at improving overall coordination and strategic direction of NRC
cooperation. Since December 2004, joint pre-deployment training has been underway to
prepare Russian ships to support Operation Active Endeavour, NATO's maritime counter-
terrorist operation in the Mediterranean. The first ship to deploy was the frigate RFS Pitlyvi
in September 2006. A second vessel, the RFS Ladniy, deployed a year later in September
2007. Additional Russian ships are expected to be rotated into the operation in 2008.

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Co-operation on Afghanistan
Counter-narcotics training of Afghan and Central Asian personnel
The NRC Pilot Project for Counter-Narcotics Training of Afghan and Central Asian
Personnel was launched by NRC foreign ministers in December 2005 to help address the
threats posed by the trafficking in Afghan narcotics. The initiative seeks to build local
capacity and to promote regional networking and cooperation by sharing the combined
expertise of the Allies and Russia with mid-level officers from Afghanistan and the Central
Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). The
project is being implemented in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime. Russia and Turkey have hosted training courses in their specialized centres of
excellence and mobile courses in all six participating countries are also being conducted.
In summer 2007, the NRC welcomed Finland's willingness to contribute to the initiative.
Close to 450 officers from the six beneficiary countries have already been trained under
this NRC Project.

Land Transit in Support of ISAF
In March 2008, the basis has been established for facilitating transit though the Russian
territory of non military freight from NATO, NATO members and non-NATO ISAF
contributors in support of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in
Afghanistan, in accordance with UNSCR 1386.

Military-to-military cooperation
Preparing for possible future joint military operations is also a key focus of NRC work. A
programme has been set up to develop interoperability between NATO and Russian
forces, in which training and exercises are an important component. Approval of "Political-
Military Guidance Towards Enhanced Interoperability Between Forces of Russia and
NATO Nations" by NRC Defence Ministers in June 2005 has given further impetus to
these efforts. Military liaison arrangements have been enhanced at the Allied Commands
for Operations, as well as in Moscow. Moreover, the ratification in May 2007 of the PfP
Status of Forces Agreement, will facilitate further military-to-military and other practical
cooperation.

Search and rescue at sea
Work in the area of search and rescue at sea has intensified since the signing of a
framework agreement on cooperation in this area in February 2003. In June 2005, Russia
took part in NATO's largest-ever search-and-rescue exercise, Sorbet Royale. The
experience and networks developed during this exercise contributed to the success of an
actual rescue operation in August 2005 off the coast of Russia's Kamchatka peninsula. In
2008, Russia is planning to participate in an even more ambitious exercise, Bold Monarch.

Defence Reform and Cooperation
Initiatives launched in the area of defence reform focus on the evolution of the military,
management of human and financial resources, reform of defence industries, managing
the consequences of defence reform, defence aspects of combating terrorism. This
includes development of a Political-Military Guidance Towards Enhanced Interoperability
Between Forces of Russia and NATO Nations, endorsed by NRC Defence Ministers in
June 2007, which will facilitate preparation of NATO and Russian forces for possible joint
operations.




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NATO-Russia Resettlement Centre
A NATO-Russia Resettlement Centre for discharged Russian military personnel was
established in Moscow in July 2002 and augmented by six regional sub-offices in March
2003. Over 2000 former military personnel from Russian Armed Forces have been
retrained. About 85% of them succeeded in finding civilian employment, as a result of the
training or the help the Centre's job placement unit.

Defence Industrial Co-operation
A broad-based "Study on NATO-Russia Defence Industrial and Research and
Technological Cooperation", commissioned in January 2005, is expected to have a
positive impact on future cooperation in these areas. Reports from the two-phased study
were published in June 2007 and recommendations and ideas for follow-up work are being
discussed in the NRC framework.

Crisis management
NATO and Russia have a long history of cooperation in crisis management. In fact,
between 1996 and 2003, Russia was the largest non-NATO troop contributor to NATO-led
peacekeeping operations. Since 2002, the NRC has taken steps to enhance cooperation
further in this area, notably through the approval in September 2002 of "Political Aspects
for a Generic Concept for Joint NATO-Russia Peacekeeping Operations". These were
tested in a procedural exercise, conducted in three phases between May 2003 and
September 2004.

Theatre missile defence
In the area of theatre missile defence, which aims at the protection of troops in joint areas
of operation, a study was launched in 2003 to assess the possible levels of interoperability
among the theatre missile defence systems of NATO Allies and Russia. Three command
post exercises have been held ­ the first in the United States, in March 2004; the second
in the Netherlands, in March 2005; and the third in Russia, in October 2006. A Computer
Assisted Exercise (CAX) also took place in Germany in January 2008. The interoperability
study, the CAX and the command post exercises are intended to provide the basis for
future improvements to interoperability and to develop mechanisms and procedures for
joint operations in the area of theatre missile defence.

The Cooperative Airspace Initiative
Significant progress has been made on the Cooperative Airspace Initiative (CAI), which
aims to foster cooperation between NRC nations on airspace surveillance and air traffic
management in order to enhance transparency, predictability and collective capabilities to
fight against terrorist air threats. The technical operational capability will be in place by end
2008 and full operational capability is planned for the end of 2009. In parallel, work is
progressing well on developing a concept of operations, an exercise and training concept,
coordination procedures and legal arrangements. The CAI capability is initially being
implemented between Norway, Poland, Turkey and Russia.

Non-proliferation
Dialogue on a growing range of issues related to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction has developed under the NRC. Concrete recommendations have been made
to strengthen existing non-proliferation arrangements. A number of in-depth discussions
and expert seminars have been held to explore opportunities for practical cooperation in


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the protection against nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. Most recently, experts
and officials from Russia and NATO member countries discussed proliferation threats and
challenges at a seminar in Florence, Italy, in September 2007. The informal talks focused
in particular on ballistic missile proliferation and nuclear terrorism.

Arms control
The NRC has also provided a forum for frank discussions on issues related to
conventional arms control, such as the CFE Treaty, the Open Skies Treaty and confidence
and security building measures.

Nuclear Weapons Issues
In the nuclear field, experts have developed a glossary of terms and definitions; organized
exchanges on nuclear doctrines and strategy; and observed nuclear-weapon-accident-
response field exercises in Russia (2004), the United Kingdom (2005), the United States
(2006) and in France (2007).

Civil emergency planning
Substantial progress has been made in developing cooperation on civil emergency
planning and response. Managing the consequences of terrorist attacks has been a key
focus of activities. Two exercises held in Russia ­ Bogorodsk (2002) and Kaliningrad
(2004) ­ and another in Montelibretti, Italy, (2006) have resulted in concrete
recommendations for consequence management.                Another table-top consequence
management exercise will be hosted by Norway in 2009. A Russian-Hungarian initiative
for the establishment of a Rapid Deployment Capability was launched in 2003 in order to
enhance NRC countries' capability to protect civilian populations from natural and man-
made disasters, as well as from terrorist acts with the use of WMD.

New threats and challenges
Promising work on confronting new threats and challenges through scientific cooperation
is taking place within the framework of the Committee on Science for Peace and Security
in NRC format. Key areas include environmental security, eco-terrorism, psychosocial
consequences of terrorism, cyber security, protection from chemical, biological,
radiological and nuclear agents, and explosives detection.

NRC Website
NRC Website (www.nato-russia-council.info) was launched in June 2007 to increase
public awareness of NRC activities. Discussions are on-going on exploring ways to
facilitate other forms of dialogue among political scientists, research institutions, the
academic community, and other relevant organisations.




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