Meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, the top military representatives approved the framework agreement for cooperation in 2011.
This is the first top meeting in NATO-Russia military council after the last November’s Summit in Lisbon. The Lisbon meeting was a breakthrough in east-west relations after years of mistrust.
Civilian and military cooperation on search and rescue has over the last decade been one of the most important bi-lateral tasks between Norway and Russia in the Barents Sea area.
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Search and Rescue at Sea is one of six areas of cooperation highlighted in the 2011 plan between Russian an NATO. Other areas include logistics, combating terrorism, counter piracy, theatre missile defense and military academic exchange, according to a news brief posted at the NATO portal.