The NATO-Russian Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brussels on April 23 took place in a very good mood, which is a sign that the relations between the North Atlantic Alliance and Moscow are improving –Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi said.

During the course of the one-day meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, a separate meeting was organised with the head of Russian diplomacy Sergei Lavrov. As Martonyi revealed, the participants of the meeting emphasised the need for mutual trust and praised the areas of cooperation.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister assessed that Lavrov also demonstrated a practical approach when he highlighted the benefits of NATO-Russian cooperation in Afghanistan, on Iran and in the fields of cybersecurity and the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking. With respect to Syria – János Martonyi continued – the positions of NATO and Russia are different not so much in their objective, but more in the path that leads to achieving it.

There is agreement – he said – that when seeking a political solution, one should return to the content of the Geneva communiqué. He refered to the document adopted on 30th June last year in Geneva by the international powers on a peace plan aimed at creating a Syrian national unity government, which left open the possibility that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad might play a role in the process of political transition.

While Lavrov highlighted the atrocities committed by the anti-government forces and called attention to the presence of fundamentalist forces, NATO Member States say that Assad should in no way remain in power – said Martonyi about the diverging opinions.

The Hungarian Foreign Minister revealed that NATO Foreign Ministers had not only discussed Syria with Foreign Minister Lavrov, but also amongst themselves and many were of the opinion that it would be justified for the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution with a view to alleviating the humanitarian situation, because the extent of human suffering is becoming increasingly intolerable.

NATO currently does not play a role in Syria but military intervention would not resolve the situation – Martonyi revealed the common position of the members of the Atlantic Alliance. As he noted, any possible role for NATO would only be conceivable in Syria once a political solution is found.

The EU-mediated agreement between Serbia and Kosovo was also discussed at the NATO Foreign Ministers’ Meeting – said Martonyi. He pointed out that according to the agreement the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) still has a long mission ahead of it, because Kosovo security forces may only be deployed in the Serbian populated regions of Northern Kosovo if – in addition to gaining the approval of the Serbian self-government authorities – KFOR also consents to this.

(Ministry of Foreign Affairs)