Nato and Russia agreed on Saturday to cooperate on missile defence and other security issues, and hailed a fresh start in relations strained since Russia's intervention in Georgia in 2008. At a summit meeting in Lisbon, Nato Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the meeting represented a "fresh start" towards more trust and co-operation between the two sides, which froze ties after Russian forces invaded Nato ally Georgia.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said a "period of difficult, strained relations has been overcome". "We have large-scale plans, we will be working in all areas, including European missile defence," he told reporters. Nato leaders agreed on Friday to develop an anti-missile system to protect the territory of all Nato member states in Europe and North America, and to invite Russia to join the project.
It will be capable of intercepting long-range missiles fired from the Middle East. Rasmussen said the two sides agreed to revive a project aimed at protecting their armed forces from missile attack suspended after the Georgia intervention and to conduct a joint study to broaden the project to protect populations and territory.