Russia has proposed a special meeting of the NATO-Russia Council focused on the August 2008 war in Georgia, hoping the gesture will help restore formal relations with the alliance. Russian Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin made the offer to NATO ambassadors in Brussels, saying Moscow wants a military representative present to explain its account of how the conflict began.
High-level NATO-Russia talks were suspended after Russian forces entered Georgia last August. Informal contacts resumed in December, but a full restoration of official dialogue appears unlikely before the alliance summit scheduled for 2-3 April in Strasbourg and Kehl.
Alliance members are divided on how to proceed. France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Britain favor resuming formal contacts, arguing that continued isolation of Russia is counterproductive. Several eastern European countries and Canada, however, oppose any early normalization, pointing to Russia's plans to station troops in the breakaway Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as a serious breach.
NATO foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels on 5 March, with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton attending. The US position is expected to carry significant weight, with one alliance official noting that Washington appears inclined to send positive signals to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia simultaneously.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in February 2009, in its own words.