International Herald Tribune: Global security and propaganda dogmas
New threats necessitate a new vision of the Russia-NATO partnership, which President Dmitry Medvedev has defined as the "unity of the whole Euro-Atlantic space, read more...
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What we proposed to Mr. Rasmussen was to be proactively engaged in an intellectual dialogue between Russia and NATO and hold a series of joint brain-storming session on the future of the continent, on discussing the possibilities of a deeper cooperation taking due account of interests of Russia and NATO member-states. This proposal was supported. And this should allow us to transform the NATO-Russia Council, which has so far been just a tool for exchanging information instead of being the main channel of strategic dialogue in the military and defence policy. The NRC should primarily aim at bringing together the positions of different states, finding balance of their national interests and making peace in Europe much more stable and secure
The officials are expected to discuss further steps to restore relations between Russia and NATO in the light of the forthcoming bilateral meeting between Rasmussen and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov within the framework of the UN General Assembly session in New York
Making individual NATO members responsible for specific provinces in Afghanistan has hindered international cooperation efforts, NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in a magazine interview. "All countries like to think they are the champions of reconstruction," NATO Secretary General De Hoop Scheffer said in an interview with Dutch magazine Vrij Nederland on Tuesday. "But that has not stimulated real international military and civil cooperation, and from time to time it has even worked against it," he told the magazine
The best way to cope with modern threats and challenges is through concerted action. Russian potential is obviously high in this regard. Time will pass, and Russia and Georgia will solve their common problems. We are neighbors sharing a long common history, we have a great number of family ties and common economic interests. Yet the problem in future relations with NATO for Russia might be the fact that NATO was able to help at a time of need, but did not want to, recklessly siding with Tbilisi’s anti-national regime
We regard the decision taken by the Alliance as a provocation. Its timing is in no way accidental. It appears that some members of NATO are discontent with the way Russia-NATO relations have recently been developing, and they provoke an international scandal on purpose, going all-out in their attempt to disrupt Russian re-engagement with the Alliance along with a reset in relations between Russia and the U.S.
"We don't consider it necessary to make any concessions in terms of our sovereignty and we are capable of solving all the threats in an independent way. What we are ready for is to create some temporary coalitions, but at the moment we are not happy about many things happening in NATO," Mr Rogozin said, adding that this was a reason why membership was out of the question at this point. "Great powers don't join coalitions, they create coalitions. Russia considers itself a great power," the Russian ambassador stressed. He said Russia wanted to be NATO's "partner," provided the alliance took into account Moscow's "interest" - a catchphrase alluding to NATO enlargement to its neighbouring Ukraine and Georgia, which it fiercely opposes
Even with concessions on the missile shield and on Ukraine and Georgia, Russia remains deeply suspicious of NATO. "There is still no mutual understanding or trust between us," Rogozin says. "Russia should become a reliable partner to both the U.S. and NATO, but for that, Russia needs to be respected in both Washington and Brussels." Moscow would prefer to reduce the alliance's footprint not only on its southern flank in Georgia and Ukraine but also on its western frontier with Poland and the Baltic states — although any reversal of the integration of those countries into NATO would render the alliance itself meaningless. So the relationship is likely to remain testy, even if it becomes more cooperative. "We are not a naïve people, but we feel a lot of hope," says Rogozin. "We are optimistic."
On March 5, the alliance decided to resume dialogue with Russia despite objections from some of its newer East European members, but Rogozin described this as "not enough". "We still believe that NATO's position in August was unacceptable," said the envoy, who has a reputation as a nationalist hawk in Russia. "Words, acceptable (for Russia) are needed in the NATO summit's final declaration."
"We believe that the decision made on March 5 by foreign ministers of the alliance's member states in regard to Russia is not enough," Rogozin said, adding that the decision must be made not only by 26 NATO member states, but by Russia as well. The Russian envoy said that the military alliance is also unwilling to learn the real reasons of the last year's military conflict between Tbilisi and Moscow adding that an independent commission is currently investigating the last August's events. "We are confused that while everyone is waiting for the results of this commission NATO has not been shy about addressing fairly aggressive words to Russia, calling our actions unacceptable and disproportionate," he said
"Attempts to submit proposals for NATO reform have been made for a long time now, but still nothing distinct has been said. According to fragmented information, documents and events, we can see that NATO is essentially ready to compete with the UN," Dmitry Rogozin told the Russian News Service radio
Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's permanent envoy to NATO, predicted an outcome of the Brussels talks "that should, on the whole, satisfy Russia" but made clear he saw Moscow negotiating from a position of strength. "We came out of the crisis that we had after the August 2008 events [the war with Georgia], the crisis in the South Caucasus, stronger," he told Russian channel Vesti TV. "Our Western colleagues saw in Russia a partner that one cannot wipe one's feet on. We are strong... and we are restoring cooperation, including on our terms"
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Important Issues
February 25, 2010
'We are facing challenges that we should meet together with NATO'
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October 23, 2009
Missile defence as a common cause for all (Jane's Defence Weekly, London)
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Documents
June 5, 2008
Dmitry Medvedev's Speech at Meeting with German Political, Parliamentary and Civic Leaders
April 4, 2008
Chairman’s statement: Meeting of the NATO-Russia Council at the level of Heads of State and Government held in Bucharest
April 3, 2008
Bucharest Summit Declaration, issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Bucharest on 3 April 2008
February 22, 2007
Vladimir Putin's Speech and the Following Discussion at the Munich Conference on Security Policy
All documents
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