BERLIN, March 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that his country intends to build new dialogue with NATO.

"The full-format dialogue through the Russia-NATO Council will be resumed soon. On the whole we welcome what is going on - we had never called for these relations to be restricted," Medvedev said at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The work of the Russia-NATO Council was suspended by the alliance unilaterally in September 2008, after Russia's retaliation to Georgia's attack on South Ossetia in August.

Russia's envoy to the military alliance, Dmitry Rogozin, earlier said the work of the Russia-NATO Council could resume later in March. He also said the "period of estrangement" in Russia-NATO relations is "largely behind us."