WASHINGTON DC. February 29. KAZINFORM NATO does not see any progress at missile defense negotiations with Russia, which calls into question the Russia-NATO Council meeting in Chicago in May 2012, NATO Secretary General Andres Fogh Rasmussen replied to an Itar-Tass question on Tuesday.
If no missile defense agreements are reached by May, the next meeting of the Russia-NATO Council may not be held either, he said.
The alliance understands that Russia is living through the elections period and it will not receive any new Russian signals concerning missile defense until the elections are over, he noted.
However, life does not end in Chicago (where the next NATO summit is due on May 20-21), Rasmussen said. The alliance hopes that Russia will understand in the foreseeable future that missile defense cooperation meets its interests, because it faces the same threats as NATO and it is possible to make a joint evaluation of threats and to hold joint exercises, he said.
NATO will continue to fulfill the European missile defense plan approved at the Lisbon summit in November 2010 no matter Russia joins in or not, Rasmussen concluded.
ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Kazakhstani parliamentarians - Vice Speaker of Majilis Abai Tasbulatov and member of the Senate's Committee for international relations, defense and security Sergei Gromov - participated in the 61st annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from October 10 to October 12 in Stavanger, Norway, the Majilis' press service reports.
TOKYO. KAZINFORM - The frenzy since the "Pokemon Go" smartphone game was released in Japan last Friday has resulted in minor car and bicycle accidents as well as traffic offenses across the country, Kyodo reports.