Chicago summit cancelled: NATO and Russia take a pause

Ilyashenko Andrei

23.03.2012, 18:42

The NATO Secretary General Anders Fog Rasmussen announced on Thursday that the Chicago Russia-NATO summit in May is cancelled. Of course this is not a sign of crisis, like the one experienced after the Russian-Georgian conflict. The NATO Secretary General Anders Fog Rasmussen announced on Thursday that the Chicago Russia-NATO summit in May is cancelled. Of course this is not a sign of crisis, like the one experienced after the Russian-Georgian conflict. It is clear, however, that the interested parties need a pause to reconsider the new reality, especially concerning the Russian-US debate on the issue of ABM, and principal difference in the approaches to the crises in the Middle East."I have personally discussed that matter with Russian President-elect Putin, and we agreed that the Russian busy internal political calendar makes it difficult to hold the NATO-Russia summit in Chicago in time", - Rasmussen told the RIA Novosti news agency. "Besides, I can confirm that next month our Ministers of foreign Affairs will meet, and it proves that we are all committed to dialogue and practical cooperation. And it will continue before and after Chicago, because we plan our relations with Russia not only for one day or one meeting; we are talking about a long-term cooperation", - The NATO Secretary General emphasized. Читать далее Source: Voice of Russia.