NATO’s activities are clearly aimed at “military force projection” in the Black Sea and Eastern Europe and have no “anti-terrorism value” whatsoever, according to Russia’s Permanent Representative to the alliance, who promised the moves won’t stay unanswered.
The biggest military buildup along Russia’s borders since the Cold War by the supposedly defensive alliance is not bolstering European security, but is instead creating additional “obvious risks” for it, Aleksandr Grushko said on Thursday, following the Wednesday meeting of the alliance’s defense ministers in Brussels.
Military specialists from the alliance’s member states are implementing the decisions of the Warsaw summit [in July] and are fulfilling their confrontational schemes of military planning and military preparations in the territories along our borders,” the Russian diplomat said. “Thus, as part of reinforcing the so-called eastern flank of the alliance, it is forming battalion-level reinforced multinational contingents which will be deployed in the Baltic countries and Poland in early 2017. Moreover, they consider deployment of some ‘framework’ brigade in Romania, and some specific options for enlarging NATO’s presence in the Black Sea.”
Grushko said that sSuch actions put at risk the viability of Russia-NATO Founding Act.
“NATO and primarily the United States are actively reclaiming the aquatorium of the Black Sea with their multifunctional combat platforms having a serious offensive and anti-missile potential,” while “intimidating the public with movements of Russian ships in the international waters,” said Grushko.
NATO’s military activities in the Black Sea region, are a clear “projection of force” and do not have any value for “carrying out anti-terrorist missions,” according to Grushko.
“Apart from that, they are making front-rank stockpiles of weapons and hardware in Eastern Europe region, modernizing infrastructure for deployment of large army units, conducting an endless chain of drills – both ground, sea and air – right at the Russian borders,” said Grushko.
NATO activities in the region won’t stay unanswered, the Russian diplomat said.
“So, a question arises: What’s next? A new wave of NATO’s speculations about the ‘Russian threat’ and a new round of arms race?” Grushko wondered. “We believe this is a road to nowhere.”
Source: Russia Today
