Slovakia supports NATO-Russia Council, says Foreign Minister

Slovakia supports convening the NATO-Russia Council, "but this doesn't mean that we'll return to what was in place before the annexation of Crimea", Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák stated during a working visit to Kiev on Tuesday. According to Lajčák, open dialogue is needed, and when necessary it must also be critical. At the same time the first point on the agenda of the council must be Ukraine, stressed the Slovak minister. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg last week indicated that he's considering restoring the operations of the Council, which were suspended in June 2014 over the crisis in Ukraine. At the same time he confirmed reports that ambassadors of the 28 NATO countries should meet Russian permanent representative to NATO Alexander Grushko in late February or early March. Germany has been demanding the restoration of the Council for more than year, but its Foreign Affairs Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier's appeals had been rejected by most NATO members, mainly eastern ones.