MUNICH, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is not a guest of NATO at the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) but an equal partner, the German Chancellor said during a security conference in Munich Saturday.

"The NATO-Russia Council should not lie dormant. Russia is not NATO's guest, but an equal partner," Angela Merkel said.

The NRC was established in May 2002 as a forum to advance relations between the 26 NATO members and Russia, and to identify and pursue opportunities for joint action on strategic priorities and common security challenges.

The decision to establish the NRC came following the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.