NATO, Russia sign Partnership for Peace Status of Forces Agreement

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia signed on Thursday the Partnership for Peace Status of Forces Agreement (PfP SOFA).

The agreement was signed by NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday morning before the NATO-Russia Council holds a foreign ministers' meeting here.

The agreement settles the legal status of armed forces of Russia and NATO in carrying out peacekeeping missions and anti- terrorism operations as well as in transit.

"Russia's accession to the PfP SOFA will open important new horizon for concrete, practical NATO-Russia cooperation," said de Hoop Scheffer at the signing ceremony.

"It will provide us with a much needed legal framework that enhances substantially our ability to act together in the face of common threats, whether in support of the Alliance's efforts to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan, or in the further development of interoperatbility between NATO and Russian military forces," he added.

Lavrov called Russia's accession into the agreement "indeed a milestone of NATO-Russia cooperation," noting that this would " pave the way for additional practical cooperation" between NATO and Russia.