NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen hopes to secure Russian help in equipping and training Afghan security forces during a visit to Moscow in December, Reuters quoted an alliance spokesman as saying today. Rasmussen will meet President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and the foreign and defence ministers during the Dec. 15-17 visit, his first to Moscow since taking over as the defence alliance"s secretary-general on Aug 1. NATO spokesman James Appathurai said there was a possibility Moscow could also agree to broaden agreements on the transit of NATO supplies to Afghanistan through Russia. "On Afghanistan there is a clear prospect of stepping up cooperation and it is supported by a clear shared interest," Appathurai told reporters. Appathurai said that although NATO was seeking better ties with Russia, they would not come at the expense of promises the alliance has made to the former Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia that they can one day join the alliance. "There will be no compromise on core principles, but a strong push to expand practical cooperation," Appathurai said.
