What has the Kremlin drawn from the recently concluded NATO Summit in Bucharest? Among other things, Dmitry Kosyrev writes for Russia’s Novosti News Service:
“The Bucharest summit has shown that NATO – or Europe and the West in general, is in more difficulty that it at first appeared. … The well-concealed disagreements about the participation of NATO members in operations in Afghanistan demonstrate the failure of the military Alliance, and its ambiguous position as an accessory to the American war machine.”
And what, according to the Russians, is at the root of the problem? Kosyrev writes,
“It is clear that today, it’s hard to be an American or a European. For several centuries, Western civilization nurtured illusions about its eternal leadership and dominance on this planet, and the subordinate role of all other civilizations and continents. But this era is at an end, and it’s time for the West to adapt to new realities … But until that ‘adjustment’ comes, it looks like looks like there will first be a panic over the imminent invasion by ‘the hoards’ against the West’s poorly enforced fortress: Everyone capable of holding a weapon are to get inside the fortress and the bridge should be lifted.”
By Dmitry Kosyrev
Translated By Igor Medvedev
April 4, 2008
Kommersant – Russia – Original Article (Russian)
MOSCOW: Those who followed the NATO Summit in Bucharest had every reason to expect a “second Munich” – that is, another statement by President Vladimir Putin explaining exactly what he thinks about the attitude toward Russia held by the part of the world generally referred to as the “West.”
[Editor’s Note: In his speech to the Munich Conference on Security Policy last year, President Putin said, among other things, “One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations. Well, who likes this? Who is happy about this? And of course this is extremely dangerous. The result of this is that no one feels safe. I want to emphasize this no one feels safe! Because no one feels that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them!”]
But there was no Munich speech in Bucharest – and none had been planned. The fact is that this time, in his last address to an international forum as President of Russia, Putin intended to balance his words of displeasure with NATO’s actions with Russian suggestions about what direction he would like Russian relations with NATO to take.
Another point one could make is that unlike Bucharest, the Munich conference was a relatively open forum. This time, the text of Putin’s speech was of a different genre, since Putin was addressing a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council. Of course, Putin’s presence turned the meeting into a separate summit. Beforehand, the audience was groping for ever grain of information about Putin’s speech. One of the sources of these grains was NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer; other sources were members of the Russian delegation.
So what did the Russian president say? The second half of his speech dealt with Moscow’s discontent. He called the extension of the Alliance a “direct threat to Russia” (These are very serious words). Russia has no right of veto here and doesn’t seek one. But even the concerns of states without vetoes should be able to register their concerns. NATO cannot ensure its own security at the expense of the security of other nations, including Russia. NATO is a military alliance, and thus in the military sphere, it must display restraint. Upon the further approach of NATO toward Russia’s borders, Moscow will respond with all “necessary measures.” Russia has been repeatedly confronted with violations of international law – it’s enough to mention the bombing of Yugoslavia and the unilateral recognition of Kosovo.
READ ON AT WORLDMEETS.US, along with continuing translated foreign press coverage of the NATO Summit’s aftermath and related issues that involve the United States.
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