NATO is seeking another formal meeting with Russia after the Western military alliance holds a summit in Warsaw later this week.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday he would like to hold a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council "shortly after" the alliance's summit Friday and Saturday that will be attended by heads of state and government of the NATO's 28 member-states.
He added that "transparency and risk reduction should be an important topic" at the NATO-Russia Council meeting. NATO continues to be "a responsible, transparent and predictable actor" and remains "open to dialogue with Russia," Stoltenberg said.
The last NATO-Russia Council meeting, which was held in April, ended in what Stoltenberg then called "profound and persistent disagreements." It was the council's first meeting since June 2014, shortly after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and began backing armed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The NATO chief also said he, European Council President Donald Tusk, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, will sign a "joint declaration on our partnership" during the NATO Warsaw summit, the Associated Press reported.
The joint declaration will set out "new ways we can work closer together on key areas such as countering hybrid threats and maritime security because together we are stronger," Stoltenberg said.
Shortly after Britain voted to leave the European Union last month, Stoltenberg said the decision had made NATO an even more significant player in international political and military affairs.
"I think that NATO has become even more important [not only] as a captain for cooperation between Europe and North America, but also defense and security cooperation between European NATO allies," he said.
