(VOVworld) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that NATO is discussing whether to hold the first formal negotiations with Russia since relations became strained in 2014.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg presents the 2015 NATO annual report during a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, January 28, 2016. (Photo: AFP)

Stoltenberg said NATO and Russia need transparency to avoid misunderstandings and incidents like the recent downing of a Russian fighter jet on Syrian soil by Turkey, a NATO member.

He said NATO is looking into the possibility of holding a NATO-Russia Council (NRC) meeting. He did not elaborate on the timing of such a meeting, but it is widely expected to take place on February 10 or 11 after a meeting of NATO defense ministers, or in early March.