NATO-Russia military ties set to resume

This weekend's meeting of foreign ministers from NATO and Russia will likely restart their military relations, which were frozen after last year's war between Russia and Georgia, officials said Tuesday.

The two sides have various common interests in this area, such as promoting stability in areas such as Afghanistan and anti-piracy patrols off the Somali coast, NATO's deputy spokeswoman Carmen Romero said.

NATO's 28 foreign ministers will meet with their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on the Greek island of Corfu on Saturday. The talks are being held in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council, a panel set up in 2002 to improve cooperation between the former Cold War foes.

"We expect this meeting will lay out the basic principles for the resumption of military relations between NATO and Russia," Romero said.

This may include setting a date for a meeting of defense ministers and chiefs of staff during which specific aspects of military cooperation would be discussed, said an official who asked not to be identified in line with standing regulations.

Russia's war with Georgia in August brought Moscow's relations with NATO, the European Union and the United States to post-Cold War lows.

NATO allies still object to Russia's recognition of the unilateral declarations of independence by Georgia's separatist regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, while Moscow remains indignant over NATO's overall support for Georgia.

The war resulted in a freezing of all contacts, including NATO-Russia Council meetings and military cooperation. But ties had started to improve by the time of President Barack Obama's inauguration in January.

NATO and Russia now hold regular ambassador-level talks in Brussels, but both have said a ministerial meeting is needed to resolve remaining disputes.

The Corfu meeting comes just weeks ahead of Obama's visit to Moscow next month. But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was forced to cancel plans to meet Lavrov after she fell and broke her elbow at the State Department.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has said he expects the talks in Corfu to send "a strong signal" regarding renewed engagement with Moscow. "We have to look forward," he said.

Despite the previous diplomatic freeze and sharp disagreements over NATO expansion and U.S. plans for missile defense in Europe, the Western alliance and Russia have continued to cooperate on issues of common interest.

Moscow invited the alliance to use Russia's rail network to resupply its forces in Afghanistan, after attacks on transport convoys in Pakistan by Taliban forces raised concerns about the security of NATO's main overland logistics route. The United States, Germany and France already have taken advantage of that offer.

Moscow fears the return to power by Taliban extremists would destabilize Central Asia and endanger Russia's own security. Still, Russian officials have ruled out any military engagement there.

NATO nations want Moscow to do more, including supplying the Afghan army with weapons and spare parts for its Russian-made equipment and possibly providing airlift for government forces.