Interfax: Russia ready to resume constructive dialogue with NATO – envoy Grushko

(Interfax – September 17, 2015)

It is NATO that ought to take the first step towards resuming constructive dialogue between military officials of Russia and the alliance, Moscow’s Permanent Representative to NATO Alexander Grushko has said.

“Signals have recently been heard from different ‘corners’ in NATO that it would be a good idea to revive Russia-NATO contacts at the military level, at least starting by establishing some ‘hotline’ to exchange information with the aim of preventing dangerous military incidents. The Russian side holds no prejudice against such a form of contacts,” Grushko was quoted as saying by the official Twitter account of Russia’s representative office at NATO.

It wasn’t the Russian side that “cut off these channels,” he added.

“For this reason, if NATO seriously thinks that dialogue between the military is a serious stabilizing factor, in this case, certainly, it is NATO that should take the first step towards resuming the normal dialogue that has existed within the Russia-NATO Council for many years,” Grushko said.