Man.. where's Soyuz when you need him!
Posted 02/25/05 12:31
By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, MOSCOW
Russia will take “appropriate” steps if NATO’s plans threaten its national security, the secretary of the Russian Security Council said Feb. 24.
“We will watch carefully how NATO develops and its military infrastructure. … And if its plans interfere with Russia’s national security, we will be obliged to take appropriate steps to assure that security,” said Defense Minister Igor Ivanov, according to ITAR-TASS news agency.
To minimize the risk of confrontation, Ivanov said there was room to strengthen the different forms of cooperation between Moscow and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that the Western military alliance’s influence in the former Soviet bloc countries directly affected Russia’s interests, hinting at NATO’s overture in Ukraine after the election of pro-Western Viktor Yushchenko as president.
Since the creation of the Russia-NATO council in May 2002, the cooperation has led to talks and exchanges between the two former cold-war enemies.
|
