Minister of State Werner Hoyer issued the following statement today (28 March) in Berlin on future relations between NATO and Russia:

“With his call for Russia to be included under the roof of a Euro-Atlantic missile defence system, the NATO Secretary-General is highlighting a very promising way forward in the Alliance’s relations with Russia.

As the old paradigms of strategic military antagonism between Russia and the West have long since become outdated, it makes sense to regard Russia less as a threat and more as part of the Euro-Atlantic security system. For confrontation between Russia and the West has long since been replaced increasingly by a shared concern about risks to their security.

With their agreement on further substantial reductions in their strategic nuclear arms, the US and Russia have demonstrated that the Cold War, long since over politically, can also be overcome in terms of military planning. We have to continue resolutely along this path – by reducing the importance of sub-strategic and conventional weapon systems and stepping up the political and security dialogue.

The NATO Secretary-General made it clear that he would like to open a new chapter in the Alliance’s relations with Russia and that our task now is to finally end the Cold War in strategic military terms. He deserves broad support in this.”