Serbia backs Russia against NATO drills
Published: 30 April, 2009, 20:42
Edited: 24 February, 2010, 04:14
TAGS: Military, NATO, Georgia, Politics
The Serbian Cabinet has confirmed that Serbia won’t take part in NATO-led drills in Georgia scheduled for May 6 through June 1.
Earlier in an interview with the B92 TV channel, Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said: “nobody in Serbia will take part in those NATO-led drills in Georgia. The reason is that Russia said those military exercises pose a threat to its security,” reports the Ria Novosti news agency.
On Thursday the Moldovan government withdrew from the maneuvers without explanation. Earlier, the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia, as well as Kazakhstan in central Asia announced that they were pulling out of the exercises.
It’s reported that Riga and Tallinn withdrew due to financial reasons while Astana has not commented on its decision not to take part.
Russia has strongly criticized the upcoming NATO-led drills, officially known as Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer 09. Moscow says the military exercises will further destabilize the region, the scene of an armed conflict less than a year ago.
Meanwhile, NATO still regards Georgia as a close partner.
According to Russia’s envoy to the alliance, Dmitry Rogozin, the issue was addressed at the official meeting of the Russia–NATO Council (the first since the conflict in South Ossetia) held in Brussels on Wednesday 29.
“NATO's point of view on Georgia puzzles us, since a major organisation like NATO could definitely show more flexibility. Everybody realises perfectly that there can be no normal relations with an aggressor. Still, there is one message in the final documents of the NATO summit in Strasbourg and in public speeches of NATO executives: that Georgia is an advanced partner who will have their support against all odds,” he said after the meeting.
Official co-operation between Russia and NATO only resumed recently after being suspended following the war in South Ossetia.
Rogozin acknowledged that Russia and the alliance "still have serious disagreements over the assessment of events in Georgia" and called on the Council to make a "professional, thorough and unemotional assessment of the events in August of last year".
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Serbian people will support you allwayes !!! Long live mother Russia and Serbia
Even the thought that Serbs were to join the NATO war games was despicable. Never mind that those games were suppose to take place on the borders of our biggest friend, orthodox brothers and historic ally Russia. Even though I'm a not big fan of the current Serbian government, I do applaud their decision to withdraw from the games. They were not suppose to join the games in the first place. "Count Cash" said it all. NATO is suppose to be a military of the New World Order Government. Same as the NWO, it has no face, borders, religion, culture but only a bunch of masonic bureaucrats looking to not only make money but be the ultimate rulers of the world. At the moment, Russia is not only defending itself but the rest of the true and real Free World. Now we are making the last stance. Now we are defending the true freedom. If we don't succeed now, we'll all be enslaved. Russia, Serbian people will always be with you regardless of what their government does.
This is great news by Serbia, However I'm fairly new to the Russian-Serbia relationship and do not know much about these great countries friendly history, But I have seen so many negative sides in doing US-EU Led NATO Drills on international soil because these always seem to cause tension in Post-Soviet and Post-Communist airspace like the Former Yugoslav republic of Serbia. Like back in 1999 when NATO and the coalition of the EU and US strikes Kosovo and the Balkans, Also these drills are happening in Ukraine and many other countries, Like I have stated I am fairly new to the Russian and Serbian Brotherhood relationship, I can only give my full support to Serbia for sticking up for themselves and doing what right by them. NATO must realise that their way of handling international affairs are most certainly lacking in modern day time's because their Mandate is still stuck in the late 1940's and has not had a huge overhaul in their policies. I hope that Non-Members that aspires to become part of NATO will see the small tiny perils of joining NATO. Serbia, Russia will NEVER! let you down.