Russia and NATO have approved a military cooperation plan for this year. Speaking to reporters following a meeting with NATO colleagues at the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels on Thursday, Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov said a positive impression was made by bilateral military cooperation last year particularly the useful contacts made in military medicine, logistics, disarming of handmade bombs, and personnel training. The two sides discussed the situation in Afghanistan, where NATO is intensifying fight against dire local threats. Makarov stressed that what happens in Afghanistan has a direct influence on security along the Russian border and worries our allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Given the urgency of the situation, he said, Russia will continue to render assistance to the peacekeepers in Afghanistan, primarily with the transit of cargo.