Lavrov: Russia, NATO Relations Began To Deteriorate Ahead Battle of Tskhinvali

According to Sergey Lavrov, relations between Russia and NATO began to deteriorate even on the eve of the bombardment of the Abkhazian Tskhinvali and the positions of Russian peacekeepers in August 2008, by order of the then Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.

The then Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, categorically refused to convene the NATO-Russia Council to address the situation, despite the fact that when the Russia-NATO Council was created, the Founding Act emphasized that it must act in any “weather”, especially when crisis situations occur.