Daily Journal:

The only official notification we have received from Russia was last week. We received a letter stating that the Russian Ministry of Defense has decided to suspend participation in international military events involving Russia and NATO countries. I cannot comment on anything that Mr. Rogozin said at the press conference today, since his words were not officially conveyed to the alliance. NATO believes that relations with Russia are beneficial to both sides. But at this stage, in accordance with the state of affairs, interaction with Russia cannot remain the same until Russia implements the six points of the peace plan in Georgia. Of course, at the same time, NATO does not want to sever ties with Russia, no one in the alliance wants to close the door on Russia, and we still have contacts at the working level. Therefore, of course, there are grounds for optimism, although what President Medvedev said today is very serious. As you know, the NATO Secretary General refused to consider the Russian government's decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are part of Georgia. He stated that this was a direct violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions regarding the territorial integrity of Georgia - these are resolutions that Russia itself supported. NATO calls on Russia to respect the principles of Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Regarding relations between NATO and Georgia, as the Secretary General announced on August 19 after the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers, we have decided to create a NATO-Georgia Commission. The alliance's Secretary General plans to visit Georgia in mid-September. In addition, we approved the list submitted by Georgia, which lists ways in which NATO can possibly assist the country.