(Interfax – May 23, 2013) Russia is not planning to return to the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), Deputy Defence Minister Anatoliy Antonov has said, as quoted by the Russian Interfax news agency on 23 May. “Today, Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu said clearly that this mechanism, the CFE, which we often argue about in Russia and NATO, is dead,” he said, speaking at an international conference on
(Interfax – May 17, 2013) Russia and NATO are boosting their cooperation in a number of areas, however Russia still has concerns about US and NATO European missile defence plans, Russian Deputy Chief of General Staff Col-Gen Aleksandr Postnikov-Streltsov has said. Interfax news agency carried the comments that Postnikov-Streltsov made after a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (RNC) in Brussels at the level of general staff chiefs on 15 May.
(RIA Novosti – WASHINGTON, May 1, 2013) US Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that Washington supports Georgia’s aspirations to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ambitions that Moscow has repeatedly warned will only inflame tensions in the South Caucasus. “We are very supportive of Georgia’s aspirations with respect to NATO and Europe,” Kerry said ahead of a meeting in Washington with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose
(Interfax – April 25, 2013) The Russian Union of Afghan War Veterans that unites many generals and officers who took part in the pullout of the Soviet limited contingent from Afghanistan are ready to respond to requests from NATO colleagues and share their materials, Union leader Frants Klintsevich told Interfax-AVN on Thursday. “I have learned about the NATO request from the media, but I do not rule out it may
(Russia Beyond the Headlines – rbth.ru – Inna Soboleva, RBTH – April 8, 2013) NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow hopes that dialogue of deployment of an ABM system in Europe can be activated in the coming months. NATO hopes that, in light of the U.S. decision to cancel the fourth phase of its ABM system in Europe, a dialogue with Russia is now possible; the two parties might even
MOSCOW, April 2 (RIA Novosti) Six years after announcing a unilateral moratorium on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the Russian Defense Ministry has reaffirmed that the original document has no prospects in the future. “The CFE treaty was signed when two opposing military blocs NATO and the Warsaw Pact still existed,” head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s department for control over the execution
(Interfax – March 20, 2013) The international conference on security issues in Europe, the Russian Defense Ministry plans to hold in Moscow on March 23-24, is to bring closer ties of European countries on the issue, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Wednesday. “A lot has been done in the recent years to ensure security in Europe in general and in certain countries in particular,” Antonov said.
BRUSSELS. March 19 (Interfax) – Russian officials said on Monday at a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council that Russia intended to hold an international conference on military and political aspects of European security in Moscow on May 23-24, Sergei Koshelev, director of the Russian Defense Ministry’s department for international military cooperation, said. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has proposed holding the conference and Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved, Koshelev.
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nicholas von Twickel – March 19, 2013) Washington’s decision to scrap the last phase of the planned NATO missile shield for Europe elicited expectations that U.S.-Russian relations might improve by removing a major stumbling block that had irked Moscow. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced Friday that the U.S. would not carry out Phase 4 of the shield, which envisaged land-based interceptors in Poland and Romania.
(Interfax – Moscow, March 18, 2013) Washington’s decision not to deploy the last elements of its missile shield in Europe should be welcomed in Russia, Chairman of Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, Fyodor Lukyanov, said. “The Russian side should in general welcome this step, whatever stands behind it. At the same time, I think and judging by the reaction of Russia, there will be no fundamental change in Russia’s
(Interfax – March 19, 2013) A statement by U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel who effectively announced the cancellation of the final phase of a Europe-based missile defense shield should be clarified in great detail, Sergei Koshelev, director of the Russian Defense Ministry’s department for international military cooperation, told journalists at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday evening. “Negotiations ought to be held in order to allow us to
(Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – Eurasia Daily Monitor: Volume 10 - jamestown.org/programs/edm/ – Georgiy Voloshin – March 18, 2013) Following his recent visit to Brussels, the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Nikolai Bordyuzha, told the Russian press that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had been ignoring all attempts to establish a permanent dialogue on security issues common to both organizations. According to Bordyuzha, who has been
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – March 14, 2013) “With the full support of a feckless policy elite and an uncritical media establishment, Washington is slipping, if not plunging, into a new Cold War with Moscow.” Strong words from Professor Stephen Cohen in a January article published in The Nation, who is a lonely voice in the US academic establishment with an unpopular point of
MOSCOW. March 7 (Interfax) – Russia is interested in building pragmatic and predictable relations with the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) if NATO is ready to take into account Russia’s interests in security and to comply with international law, Russian Permanent Representative to NATO, Alexander Grushko, said. “These relations can develop in the right direction only if NATO complies with international law. This is the basis, which would allow us
BERLIN. Feb 27 (Interfax) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has denied media reports alleging that Russia and the U.S. are preparing to exchange declarations on cooperation on missile defense and on guarantees that it will not be directed against Russia’s interests. “I have read these reports and talked with their authors. I don’t know the author’s sources, but there are no grounds for such reports whatsoever. I don’t know
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – February 21, 2013) NATO and Russia pride themselves on cooperation over Afghanistan and the fight against terrorists and pirates, but a planned logistics hub to transport military hardware from Afghanistan is not taking off. Moscow and the Western military alliance will conduct a range of exercises this year, including a joint anti-terror drill in the Paris metro, NATO Assistant Secretary General
MOSCOW, February 19 (RIA Novosti) – Russia has no plans to end US cargo traffic to Afghanistan via its territory despite differences in relations between the two states, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said on Tuesday. “Cargo transit [to Afghanistan] via Russian territory is an important aspect of our cooperation, and we have no plans to end it,” Gatilov said. Russia is interested in Afghanistan’s future stability, especially after
PARIS. Feb 6 (Interfax) – Moscow continues to insist on being provided with legally-binding guarantees by NATO, and primarily the United States, that the missile defense system being deployed in Europe will not be targeted against Russia, State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin said at debates with French National Assembly deputies. “We need guarantees backed by objective technical parameters that this system will not be targeted against Russia,” Naryshkin, who is
(Interfax – February 3, 2013) Recognition that no clues can be found to the most acute present-day problems without Russia ranks among major results of the Munich Security Conference, said State Duma International Affairs Committee Chairman Alexei Pushkov. “The speakers conveyed one fundamental idea: in NATO’s opinion it will be extremely difficult to find solutions to global present-day problems without Russia, which I see as one of the crucial moments
TALLINN. Jan 31 (Interfax) – Georgia’s foreign minister made assurances on Wednesday that her country would stick to its policy of seeking membership in the European Union and NATO. “Both for Estonia and for Georgia, joining the European Union is primarily a security issue, but, of course, it would help revise the Georgian economy as well,” an Estonian government statement that was made available to Interfax quoted Maia Panjikidze as
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – Dec. 17, 2012) A planned air cargo route for NATO countries’ military equipment from Afghanistan via Ulyanovsk is being tested and should be operating soon, a top general for the alliance said. General Knud Bartels, who chairs the alliance’s military committee, told reporters Friday that containers are being shipped from Afghanistan to Britain via that route. “A live trial along the
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – Dec. 12, 2012) Five months after Moscow finalized an agreement with NATO to use Ulyanovsk’s airport for transporting military equipment from Afghanistan, not a single flight has been carried out. National media have speculated that money is an issue and that Volga-Dnepr, the freight company that would handle the flights from the Volga Federal District hub, is demanding more payment than
[Russia and Turkey: Cool pragmatism: They may disagree about Syria but Russia and Turkey keep close business relations - The Economist - Dec. 8, 2012 - click here for full article] The Economist reports on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent trip to Turkey, and its context. Russia has been siding with Syria’s Assad regime at the United Nations over sanctions,while also being mindful of the influence Syrian Islamists could have
(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – Nikolaus von Twickel – Dec. 6, 2012) BRUSSELS Two months after an opposition party swept elections in Georgia, NATO on Tuesday reconfirmed its 2008 decision to treat the nation as a future member but expressed concern about its democratic development. “Georgia’s commitment to NATO is solid. And NATO’s commitment to Georgia remains just as solid,” the alliance’s secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, told reporters after
[NATO aims to repair Russia ties despite Patriot row - Reuters - Adrian Croft - Dec. 2, 2012 - http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/02/us-nato-ministers-idUSBRE8B107820121202] Reuters reports on NATO foreign ministers seeking to improve NATO’s relations with Russia, even as Russia raises concerns over NATO-member Turkey receiving Patriot air defense missiles as a safeguard against attacks from Syria. NATO-Russian cooperation includes addressing the future of Afghanistan: NATO foreign ministers, meeting for the first time this
MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax) – Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev counts on the fact that relations with the United States will develop under President Barack Obama but stresses that Moscow will not change its position on the European missile defense system. “There are issues on which we differ seriously: this is the European missile defense system. And no matter who is in power in Russia, the position is unlikely to
MOSCOW. Nov 27 (Interfax) – Russia is ready for missile defense cooperation with European partners on the condition of reliable guarantees this system will not be directed against it, First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov said at the opening of the 11th Congress on European Security and Defense in Berlin. The ministry website has published his speech. “Missile defense is a test of readiness for bona fide cooperation and indivisible
(Russia airs concern over Turkey’s request for NATO missiles – Reuters – Steve Gutterman – November 23 – http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/23/syria-crisis-russia-nato-idUSL5E8MN5EV20121123) Amidst the ongoing Syrian conflict, Reuters covers Russia’s reaction to the prospect of NATO deploying Patriot missile defense systems to Turkey near the border with Syria: Russia emphasised its opposition on Friday to NATO’s potential deployment of Patriot missiles in Turkey near the Syrian border, which the Western alliance says would
(Interfax – November 20, 2012) The United States is prepared to cooperate with Russia in modernizing the system of control over conventional weapons in Europe, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Rose Gottemoeller said. “CFE [Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty] remains important,” she said on her Twitter page. “We look forward to working with Russia and other partners on modernizing conventional arms control in
(Business New Europe – bne.eu – Ben Aris in Moscow – October 31, 2012) Exactly 200 years ago this month, Napoleon rode out of Moscow with what was left of the Grande Armée, having failed to crush the Russian army, only to be famously defeated himself by the Russian winter. Given the love of round number anniversaries by the press and governments I am surprised more has not been made
TBILISI. Oct 18 (Interfax) – Billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, Georgia’s likely next prime minister, insisted on Thursday that NATO speed up his country’s process of accession to the North Atlantic alliance now that the nation has carried out democratic parliamentary elections, a condition for joining the organization. “NATO should now take practical steps to enable Georgia to join the alliance as soon as possible,” Ivanishvili, leader of the Georgian Dream coalition,
‘No flexibility’ with Putin on missile defense: Romney – AFP – October 8, 2012 – click here for original article AFP covers Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s assertive backing of U.S. and NATO missile defense in the face of Russian opposition, most recently articulated in Romney’s recent foreign policy address at the Virginia Military Institute: Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney threw down the gauntlet to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on
Georgian tycoon expects NATO entry after poll victory – Reuters – Margarita Antidze – October 9, 2012 click here to read original article: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/us-georgia-election-idUSBRE8980S220121009 Reuters covers predictions by Georgia’s next likely prime minister, Bidzina Ivanishvili, that Georgia will soon join NATO, rather than come under Russian influence. Ivanishvili’s party won recent parliamentary elections. “We are striving towards Europe and Georgia will definitely be able to become a member of NATO
www.nato.int - 27 September 2012 I very much appreciate the opportunity to be here today. The Security and Defence Agenda was established just after my last stint in Brussels, when I was US Ambassador to NATO. Over the past decade, the SDA has developed a stellar reputation. So let me compliment Giles Merritt for his inspired leadership of the SDA, and thank him for his invitation to speak to you
www.nato.int – 27 September 2012 Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me start by thanking the leadership of the Diplomatic Academy and in particular Rector Bazhanov, Mr. Lukin and Mr. Safranchuk — for their initiative to organise this important conference together with our NATO Information Office in Moscow. I understand there are many distinguished participants in the audience, including decision-makers, parliamentarians, experts, military officers and diplomats from both Russia
RUSSIAN AVIATION WILL BRING NATO’S NON-LETHAL CONSIGNMENTS OUT OF AFGHANISTAN - Izvestia – August 30, 2012 - Aleksei Mikhailov [no direct link available to English translation of article] Izvestia reports that Russian pilots from the the Russian 224th Flight Group will help bring non-lethal NATO consignments out of Afghanistan. Included will be the property of 50 countries participating in the international operation in Afghanistan, both NATO and non-NATO. The latter
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