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Conflict in Syria

Russian NATO envoy says there are conditions for close Russia-West cooperation in Syria

Relations between Russia and NATO will be among the focal points at NATO’s summit in Warsaw in July 2016

© EPA PHOTO BELGA/BENOIT DOPPAGNE

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The Vienna talks on Syria have created prerequisites for closer cooperation between Russia and the Western coalition on the ground, Russia’s Permanent Representative at NATO Alexander Grushko said on Monday.

"The meeting in Vienna was a very big step forward… I think today objective conditions are being formed to unite in some format on the ground," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.

He stressed that NATO was not involved in the Syrian conflict in any way. "All NATO countries are participating in the US-led coalition individually," Grushko said. "From the formal point of view, NATO’s role is to ensure additional protection to Turkey from the so-called missile threats from Syria." Apart from that, in his words, the alliance was training law enforces in a number of countries of the region.

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Ties with Russia to be top focus at NATO summit in Warsaw

The diplomat said relations between Russia and NATO will be among the focal points at NATO’s summit in Warsaw in July 2016.

"Relations with Russia and the way NATO will be positioning itself towards out country will be among the focal points," he said, noting that NATO was not interested in finding itself "in a spiral that will lead to a new Cold War."

"The Alliance is far from homogenous. It is absolutely obvious, and this can be seen in many speeches and media reports, in analytical materials - there is a number of countries that proceed from the fact that it is impossible to build a full-value security system that would be more adequate without having Russia as a partner," Grushko said.

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Foreign policy NATO Syrian conflict

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