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Posted on 09/29/2006 4:34:51 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
PORTOROZ (Slovenia), September 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia is concerned about the expansion of NATO's infrastructure in the new member states of the northern alliance, Russia's defense minister said.
Sergei Ivanov, who is also deputy prime minister, said at a session of the Russia-NATO Council: "We are worried by the reconfiguration of NATO's infrastructure without prospects for the ratification of the Adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe [CFE]."
The CFE treaty establishes limits on military hardware and troop numbers for all countries from the Atlantic to the Urals, and aims to establish a military balance on the European continent. The Istanbul Commitments, signed along with the Adapted CFE treaty in Istanbul in 1999, concern Russia's military presence on its southern flank.
The minister's comments came against the backdrop of a diplomatic scandal caused by the arrest of Russian officers in Tbilisi for allegedly spying. Relations between the countries have been tense in the last few years over Georgia's two separatist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, where Russian peacekeeping forces have been stationed since the bloody conflicts of the early 1990s.
Ivanov also voiced Russia's worries over Georgia's active acquisition of weapons. "We are concerned over Georgia's policy of stepping up arms purchases."
On Thursday, he accused certain new members of NATO of supplying Georgia with weapons obtained earlier from the U.S.S.R., when they did not have the right to re-export them. He said conventional weapons laws were being violated.
"This is piracy," he added.
Former members of the communist-bloc in Europe -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia -- became NATO members in 2004.
Ivanov also thanked the secret services of some NATO member states for their assistance in the search for the terrorists responsible for executing Russian diplomats in Iraq.
One Russian Embassy employee was shot June 3 in an attack on a car in Baghdad. Four others were abducted and executed by an al-Qaeda linked group.
Ivanov said the situation in the Middle East country was far from being stable, despite the presence of multinational forces there since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime.
"Russia is extremely concerned by the continuing efforts of extremist forces to plunge Iraq into the chaos of civil war," he said.
Ivanov called on NATO to step up its cooperation in countering terrorism and developing a single concept of joint measures in the field. "By this I mean finalizing the document on the role of the military in the fight against terrorism," he said.
Work on the document was ongoing since 2004 until being blocked by some NATO countries for unknown reasons.
Russia has bolstered a pilot project to train anti-terrorist police from Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries, and the minister said special courses for Afghan police will start in the Russian Interior Ministry soon.
Referring to the influx of terrorist organizations since the fall of the Taliban, Ivanov said: "There is no solution to the problem of Afghanistan through the use of force."
He said Russia was sure the country's problems could be solved through the diplomatic, political and economic involvement of the world community, taking into account Afghanistan's history and providing for an ethnically balanced representation in its government bodies.
Ivanov also offered Russia's assistance in the fight against drug trafficking.
Someone needs to tell the Taliban and al Qaeda about that.
Unlike dancing, in this arena it only takes one to tango.
Of course the solution involves the use of force!Kill all the hostiles and the problem is solved,works ever time(if you have the will to do it)
Wasn't the former USSR more worried about NATO? LOL
Right.
Russia always the paranoid bully. Yawn, nothing new here same old shyte differant decade.
I see, but Russia thinks there's a military solution in Chechnya and Georgia...more hypocrisy from looney tune Slavs.
The Russkies will eat their words when they one day ask us for help in Chechnya.
Speak for yourself, Vlad.
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The Soviet invasion maybe was a big part of how this problem got out of hand in the first place.
Come on, Vlad, tell us another one about the no military solutions part.
Dude, that's exactly who he was talking about. He's saying that the Taliban and Al Qaeda cannot effect change by force and for them to stop. Read the first part of that sentence again: "Referring to the influx of terrorist organizations since the fall of the Taliban ..."
Hey look another russian putinista troll.
"There is no solution to the problem of Afghanistan through the use of force."
Man does this guy have a short term memory or what.
All Russia has ever known has been controlling people by force.
Not to mention what they just did in Cheynea(sorry bad speller).
Maybe if the Russia's played for the good team they wouldn't have to worry about Nato knocking on the door.
Stupid Russia can keep coddling up to Iran, Syria, and China. The new cold war is upon us.
yeah but this one needs a translator.
I mean no conflict between Russia and Georgia. Georgia and the Abkhazian racial supremacists will still be at odds, but what will this have to do with Russia? Doesn't Russia have its own civil war to fight?
Russia needs to finally keep its word for once by removing its troops from Georgian and Moldovan territories and abiding by the very treaty they hypocritically complain about the other side not following. Stop occupying Georgian land and there will be no conflict between Georgia and Russia. Continue your Neo-Soviet revanchist aggression and Russian will suffer the terrible consequences.
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