Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance does not have a goal of conflict with Russia at his first press conference as a Secretary General of NATO. This was reported by Reuters.

      “NATO does not seek confrontation with Russia” - the Secretary General said. According to Stoltenberg, the strengthening of the alliance does not contradict the wish of the alliance countries to build a constructive relationship with Russia. “I see no contradictions between the strong NATO and our continuous efforts to build a constructive relationship with Russia. Only a strong NATO can build such a relationship for the benefit of the Euro-Atlantic stability” - the Secretary General stated. The Former Prime Minister of Norway took over as a head of NATO after the Dane Anders Fogh Rasmussen Dane who has held the post since 2009. Rasmussen’s powers expired on September 30.