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Russia-NATO Council may not meet ahead summit in Warsaw, says Stoltenberg

According to NATO's chief, the alliance wanted to meet with Russia to try to reduce tensions, but that might not happen

BRUSSELS, June 22. /TASS/. Russia-NATO Council (RNC) may not meet prior to NATO's forthcoming summit in Warsaw, ABC channel said on Wednesday quoting Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

He said the alliance wanted to hold a meeting with Russian representatives "to prevent misunderstandings, miscalculations and try to reduce tensions."

Stoltenberg did not explain why the meeting might take place later than NATO hoped for, saying: I am not certain whether that is possible (...) but hopefully we will be able to have it shortly after the summit."

"We are in dialogue with Russia on the agenda, on the modalities," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, officials at NATO headquarters said a decision on the date of the RNC meeting had not been taken yet.

Diplomats at the Russian mission to NATO said, in their turn, working contacts were taking place between the mission and NATO on the modalities of the RNC meeting, including its date.

Stoltenberg said in an exclusive interview with TASS earlier NATO was prepared to hold an RNC meeting either before the summit in Warsaw scheduled for July 8-9 or after it. He said he did not see any problem in the fact a meeting at the ambassadorial level might be held after the summit.

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