The Russian government has decided to boycott a scheduled NATO-Russia Council meeting later this month to protest the month-long military exercises of the western alliance in Georgia, beginning Wednesday.
Reports said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov would not participate in the two-day talks beginning in Brussels May 18 as he considered that such talks, against the background of tensions over the maneuvers, would be inappropriate.
As a gesture of solidarity, on the other side, around 1,000 soldiers from over a dozen NATO member-states and partners are scheduled to stage a "crisis response" at a Georgian army base east of Tbilisi, around 70 kilometers from the nearest Russian troop positions in breakaway South Ossetia.
Last week, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned of possible negative consequences of the joint maneuvers.
Despite efforts by both sides to mend the troubled relations, many issues keep popping up in their way.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer expressed regret over Russia's decision, as it denied "a good opportunity to discuss issues of mutual concern" at the ministerial-level meeting.
The meeting is canceled, reports quoting a NATO official said.
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