BRUSSELS, September 28. /TASS/. NATO has declined mass media reports on suspension of the NATO - Russia Council (NRC) after the Zapad -2017 drills, NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu told TASS, stressing that the Alliance was studying the possibility of convening a new NRC meeting. Russia’s Permanent Representation to NATO also confirmed that there were no plans to suspend the NRC operation.

"The Alliance has no plans to ‘freeze’ the NATO-Russia Council. Indeed, as the NATO Secretary General has said in recent interviews, we’re now looking into the possibility of convening another meeting of the NATO-Russia Council. We are currently exploring possible dates with our Russian colleagues," Lungescu said.

She noted that since April 2016, the council "has met five times, addressing issues such as Ukraine, military transparency, risk reduction, and Afghanistan."

"NATO allies remain open to a periodic, focused and meaningful dialogue with Russia in NATO-Russia Council," she stated.

Earlier, some Russian mass media outlets released information that the Alliance allegedly planned to freeze work of the NATO-Russia Council before the end of the year following the Russian-Belarusian strategic drills "Zapad 2017."