NATO restricts extensive access to its HQ for Russian diplomats
7 April 2014, 19:00 -- NATO has restricted extensive access to NATO Headquarters to all representatives of the Russian Permanent Mission as of Tuesday, April 8. "This still gives Russian diplomats a level of access to NATO Headquarters that was never granted by any Russian ministry or institution to NATO staff working in Moscow," TASS agency reports citing the official NATO website's statement.
"The formerly extensive access to NATO Headquarters will be denied to all representatives of the Russian Mission, except the Russian ambassador, his Deputy Head of Mission and two support staff. Should any other st
"That means that the staff member will have to be announced, registered and escorted during their visits. This still gives Russian diplomats a level of access to NATO Headquarters that was never granted by any Russian ministry or institution to NATO staff working in Moscow," NATO’s release said.
The foreign ministers of 28 NATO member states can cancel their decision after considering the current situation in relations with Russia, the release went on to say.
"NATO Foreign Ministers decided on April 1 to suspend all practical cooperation with Russia, civilian and military, as a direct consequence of Russia’s illegal military intervention in Ukraine and of Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, which NATO strongly condemns.
Ministers also decided that political dialogue in the NATO-Russia Council can continue, as necessary, at the Ambassadorial level and above, mainly to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Political consultations in the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council at the Ambassadorial level can also continue as appropriate," NATO said in its release.
Those who want to return to Cold War times take upper hand in NATO-Russian-envoy
Those who want to return to Cold War times and attain tighter consolidation of the NATO states over Article 5 of the Treaty of Washington are taking upper hand in the alliance. Article 5 of the Treaty of Washington is the basis for NATO fundamental principle of collective defense. "A too harsh response to our questions over AWACS flights, double intensity of air patrolling over the Baltic states, intensification of military and aircraft activity at an airbase in the Polish city of Lask, assistance to "the government of winners" in Kiev exposes fully the architects of this campaign," Russian Ambassador to NATO Alexander Grushko told Kommersant daily, adding: "It looks like someone in NATO really believes that the alliance is a source of political legitimacy (as NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in his recent speech) and therefore any NATO actions are correct by definition and cannot be discussed."
"This is a major misconception. Lessons of Kosovo, Iraq and Libya will not be forgotten."
Reanimation of the NATO deterrence strategy is an extremely dangerous trend, he said. "Any decision to build up military muscle on the Eastern flank will destabilize the military situation and foster Cold War instincts alongside the search for a geopolitical adversary. It will be hard to break away from this spiral," the envoy remarked.
Review of Russia-NATO relations: NATO wants to play role of world gendarme
The dialogue between Russia and NATO is interrupted. Last week, the Alliance announced termination of its cooperation with Russia. In turn, Moscow recalled its permanent military representative in the NATO headquarters in Brussels. Moscow emphasizes that further cooperation is to be formed on the basis of practical steps on the part of the Alliance.
The North Atlantic Alliance turned 65 on April 4. But just like on the day of its creation, NATO is treating Russia as an enemy and in a period of crisis prefers not to build a dialogue, but to break off the relations. The Alliance has ceased cooperation with Russia, including in the humanitarian sphere, due to Moscow's position on Ukraine. At the same time, NATO livens up cooperation with Kiev. NATO experts are sent to Ukraine, joint military exercises are planned. And while this isn't about Ukraine's official acceptance into NATO, the West has actually declared it a zone of its interests, an expert of the Centre for Defence Studies of the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies, Sergey Yermakov says.
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