STOCKHOLM. May 6 (Interfax-Europe) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has confirmed Russia's intention to expand cooperation with NATO.
"Russia has made its choice and is pursuing dynamic and consistent cooperation with NATO in areas that are of mutual interest," Ivanov said, following talks with Swedish Defense Minister Leni Bjorklund in Stockholm on Monday.
"Russia and NATO are cooperating in areas that have nothing to do with the Cold War mythology, in particular, in countering threats that endanger Russia, NATO, and the European Union, such as weapons of mass destruction and terrorism," he said.
"Russia will continue its participation in the NATO Partnership for Peace program," Ivanov said. However, "Russia takes part in Partnership for Peace exercises only if they are of interest for Russia, and it will continue to do so," he said.
"We have far more promoted relations with NATO within the format of Twenty (the NATO-Russia Council comprising the 19 NATO members and Russia - Interfax) than in these or those exercises under the Partnership for Peace program," he said.
Russia gives priority to exercises in a bilateral format, in particular, Russian-Swedish exercises in the Baltic Sea, Ivanov said.
Bjorklund noted that Sweden has no plans to enter NATO at the moment. "We have no intentions to change our non-alignment policy," she told journalists.