NATO-Russia Council to meet Thursday

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA

A NATO-Russia Council meeting will convene on Thursday, the alliance’s head, Jens Stoltenberg, announced on Tuesday.

"Following consultations with the members of the NATO-Russia Council, I have invited them to a meeting at ambassadorial level", Stoltenberg said in a statement.

He added the meeting would be held at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

The last meeting took place on Dec. 19 in Brussels, where Ukraine, Afghanistan, military activities and risk reduction were discussed.

NATO-Russia relations worsened following Moscow's annexation of Crimea in March 2014 after an illegal independence vote.

The annexation came after violent anti-government protests in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, that led to the overthrow of then-President Victor Yanukovich.