Responding to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s assurances that Russia should not fear NATO’s advance, Russian ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin wants more than words.
In a speech that outlined NATO’s mission for the 21st Century, Hillary Clinton emphasized that the 28-member military organization presents no threat to Russia.
“While Russia faces challenges to its security, NATO is not among them,” the US Secretary of State told an audience assembled at a Washington hotel ballroom on Monday. “We want a cooperative NATO-Russia relationship that produces concrete results and draws NATO and Russia closer together.”
Clinton then said that the key to NATO-Russian relations is a high level of transparency in order to dispel Moscow’s fears that the alliance will one day turn on Russia.
“European security will benefit if NATO and Russia are more open about our armaments, our military facilities, and our exercises,” Clinton continued. “NATO and Russia should have a regular exchange of information on posture, doctrine, and planned military exercises, as well as specific measures to permit observation of military exercises and to allow visits to new or significantly improved military installations.”
Dmitry Rogozin, the tough-talking Russian ambassador to NATO, wasn’t buying a word of it.
“In my view, Mrs. Clinton’s speech failed to answer the questions that Moscow has repeatedly raised with its US and NATO partners,” he told Interfax on Tuesday.
Rogozin then cited a long list of complaints aimed at NATO and its “spontaneous expansion eastwards.”
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