WASHINGTON, October 18. /TASS/. It would be both in Russia’s and NATO’s security interests to resume the work of the Russia-NATO Council, Rose Gottemoeller, NATO’s former Deputy Secretary General, told TASS on Monday, commenting on Moscow’s decision to suspend the NATO Military Liaison Mission Moscow.

"To be honest, I am a bit surprised, because just last week at the Russian Energy Week symposium, President Putin spoke approvingly of direct discussion with NATO," she stated and provided Putin’s corresponding quote in Russian when the president said that Russia is ready to speak with NATO directly.

"Obviously, closure of the NATO Mission in Moscow makes such direct discussion more difficult. An alternative would be to renew direct discussion at NATO HQ, including through meetings of the NATO-Russia Council. It would be good for NATO security and it would be good for Russia's security: a mutual benefit," Gottemoeller stressed.

Gottemoeller was NATO Deputy Secretary General in 2016-2019 after serving nearly as Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the US Department of State in 2012-2016. She led the US team of negotiators of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia. Now she is a lecturer at Stanford University.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier on Monday that Russia is suspending it permanent mission to NATO from November 1 in response to NATO’s decision to revoke the accreditation of eight staffers of the Russian mission. Apart from that, Russia is suspending the NATO Information Office in Moscow and the NATO Military Liaison Mission Moscow starting on November 1 because Russia sees "no reason to continue to pretend that any changes [in relations with NATO] are possible in the foreseeable future," Lavrov said.

The activities of the Russia-NATO Council have been practically stalled at the Alliance’s initiative, with the latest meeting being held back in July 2019.