Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov was absent from Friday's meeting with his colleagues from NATO countries, reportedly for health reasons.
"Unfortunately, Minister Serdyukov has fallen ill," NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told reporters prior to the NATO-Russia meeting.
Serdyukov was expected to meet NATO defense ministers on Friday afternoon in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), a mechanism of political dialogue between Moscow and NATO.
Russia was represented by Serdyukov's deputy, Alexander Kolmakov, instead.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas, who hosted the meetings, said earlier on Friday that he was not informed of Serdyukov's unavailability until Friday morning, hours before the NATO-Russia meeting was to start.
He was not told that Serdyukov was ill, he told reporters.
"We do not know the reasons, maybe because of health ... If not, I am not as optimistic as yesterday," said Olekas.
De Hoop Scheffer dismissed indication that Serdyukov's absence has a political meaning.
"I do not have any indication or impression that there is something behind Minister Serdyukov's falling ill," he said.
"I regret that he cannot come, because Russia is an important partner and the NRC is an important body in NATO-Russia cooperation. But everybody can fall ill at a certain stage."
NATO and Moscow are experiencing uneasy relations, in disagreement over Kosovo, strategic missile defense and most recently over Russia's suspension of a European conventional weapons agreement. Russia is also angry about NATO's enlargement, and particularly prospective membership for Ukraine and Georgia.
"It is no secret that NATO nations and Russia do not always see eye to eye," de Hoop Scheffer admitted at the opening of the NRC meeting on Friday.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article