The new NATO doctrine involves sitting in two camps at once

Today a meeting between the foreign ministers of the NATO members is taking place in Brussels. The main topic of discussion is renewing relations with Russia. A session of the Georgia-NATO commission has also been planned.

"We have areas in which active cooperation can and must be carried out, including Afghanistan, the fight against terrorism and piracy," Vesti quotes the press-secretary for the alliance, James Appathurai.

He also declared that the likely warming of relations with Moscow did not reduce the "level of condemnation" by the alliance of Russia's actions during the conflict in South Ossetia, as well as Russia's intention to establish military bases in the "self-proclaimed" republics. According to him, NATO does not recognize the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. But "in politics you need to be able to sit in two camps at once", he concluded.

Hence the North Atlantic alliance is making advances to Moscow, but is remaining true to its opinion. So this is potentially beneficial to both parties. It is worth remembering that official relations between Russia and NATO were frozen after Russia sent its armed forces into South Ossetia in response to Georgia's attack on Tskhinvali.

The "green light" to resuming relations between Russia and NATO, as the Reuters agency reports, is being given by the change in the US administration's position following Barack Obama's arrival in the White House. The new president has decided to "reset" relations between the two countries in the light of their common interests - the fight against the terrorist threat and other current challenges facing the international community. And as we know, NATO listens closely to the voice of the United States.

Admittedly, as AFP reports, other member countries of the North Atlantic alliance have also made their contribution. This means France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Norway, who think that shutting down relations with Russia is "counter-productive". Of course, decisions within the alliance are made unanimously, and even a single dissenting voice could postpone the start to a dialogue between Moscow and Brussels. "The position of the NATO Secretary-General is to resume cooperation, but it is all in the hands of the 26 foreign ministers," an unnamed source within the alliance told Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

It must be said that there are "dissenters". "Constructive and business-like relations between NATO and Russia are in Lithuania's interest, these relations do need to be expanded," Lithuania's Foreign Minister Vygaudas Usackas remarked in an interview with BNS.

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