HELSINKI, December 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is ready to resume dialogue with NATO, but only if mutual interests are taken into account, the foreign minister said Friday.
"We are ready to resume relations," Sergei Lavrov told reporters after a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Lavrov stressed that cooperation through the Russia-NATO Council was not frozen on Russia's initiative. He also reiterated Russia's opposition to NATO's expansion plans.
Russia's envoy to NATO said Wednesday that Russia is ready to restart dialogue with NATO, frozen after the brief war in August with Georgia. Dmitry Rogozin's statement came after the 26-nation military alliance decided on Tuesday to resume informal contacts with Russia.