NATO Sec. Gen. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer considers Russia's role in conflict settlement irreplaceable. "Russia is a great power, which is responsible for many things in world affairs. Its presence over conflict settlement is irreplaceable," he said at a meeting with Russian President Putin in the Kremlin. The parties noted the high level of interaction between Russia and the NATO. "The cooperation evolves and it does so successfully according to our evaluation," Putin said. "We cooperate in practical fields, important to entire international community," he noted, reports RIA Novosti.