Stay away from NATO drills in Georgia – Russia
Published: 27 April, 2009, 18:36
TAGS: Military, NATO, Georgia, Politics
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that “Russia will not take part in NATO drills in Georgia, and doesn’t advise other countries to do this either." Some of them have already stepped out of the May exercises.
Lavrov believes the upcoming NATO-led military exercises in Georgia could encourage the country’s regime to carry out new attacks.
“We are convinced, and are telling all our partners, that it is dangerous to appease the current Georgian regime, which has in no way abandoned its attempts to solve its problems via militarization and the use of force,” Lavrov told reporters after talks with his Chinese counterpart, Yang Jiechi.
“We believe that these exercises are harmful under the present conditions,” he said. Russia will not send observers to monitor the exercises.
Lavrov also pointed out that instead of organizing drills in the country, it is necessary to make Tbilisi fulfill its obligations according to the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan.
Last week, the Russian permanent representative at NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, warned about possible provocations against NATO servicemen during the upcoming drills in Georgia.
The NATO-led exercises are scheduled for May, 6 through June 1.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan announced it would not participate in the NATO-led exercise. According to Kazakh Defense Minister Danial Akhmetov, this is the country’s final decision.
Meanwhile, the Blic newspaper in Belgrade reports that Serbia won’t take part in the drills either.
The paper was quoting an unnamed source in the country’s Foreign Ministry, which also said the Russian ambassador has already been informed about the decision. “Taking part in military exercises, which take place in a conflict region, are not a necessity for our defense system,” the source noted.
Remember what happened after previous drills! – Abkhazia
The Abkhazian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that it was surprised “by a lack of reaction on the part of the international community." The Ministry warns that the community is “watching passively the continuing efforts to arm and train Georgia, thus implanting a militaristic spirit in its army."
Abkhazia sees the upcoming exercises as “a clearly biased political action, which continues the unproductive policy of destabilization in the region."
“Obviously, it should be reiterated that the events of August 2008 occurred immediately after a similar joint drill,” the statement reads.
Russia recognized Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence in August 2008, following the conflict between the latter republic and Georgia.
Angry replies from Georgia
Lavrov’s statements were followed by criticism from Georgian Parliament Speaker David Bakradze.
“Russia is an invader, and a country that violates international law,” Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.
“Its armed forces are stationed in the territory of a neighboring country as invaders. That is why the foreign minister of such a country has no moral or political right to tell anyone what to do,” Bakradze said.
He also said that the Russian foreign minister’s remarks come as “a classic follow-up to Soviet diplomacy principles, when an attack was considered the best form of defense”.
‘Russia, this is not the end of the world!’
NATO says the Cooperative Longbow 09/Cooperative Lancer 09 command-and-staff exercises will not feature light or heavy weaponry. The aim of the drills is set as ”improving interoperability between NATO and partner countries, within the framework of Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative programs”.
In response to Russian criticism, the Western military alliance has said the drills were planned before the Russia-Georgia conflict, and that the exercise is open to all ally states, including Russia.
Ria Novosti news agency reports that a source at the NATO headquarters in Brussels said the planned exercises are “not the end of the world” and that “no one is being forced” to participate," adding that “Russia is overreacting."
27.04.2009, 18:10
1 comment
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I am glad that Slovenia would not not participate in this war games in Georgia. But I see Russians foreign policy very lame, it is to exclusional towards Slavic states.
Vidak, Vlaimir, Indeed you have suffered immensely under NATO invasion and occupation. I think Russia would do well to erect a monument and institute some rememberence day, so that we never forget the atrocities commited by NATO, both in the past and present day Serbia. However, Serbia also needs to resolve the issue itself, with the support of the world community. The world community is well aware of the NATO ethnic clensing being undertaken in the Kosovo region of Serbia. We all know about the planned sham democracy, through Albanian resettlement. We all know about the terrorist sponsorship, the drug dealing ... all being coordinated and run by NATO. The golden rule, is that the truth always comes out in the end. Serbia just needs to act calmly as a people, against these imperialist invaders, then in the end they will reap their just reward. It is everyones right to protest anywhere, as the protests grow, the Serbian people will become a tide of justice, impossible to hold back, the invaders swords will try to cut water, as it flows around them. So stick judicously to you cause!
Anyone noticed that nearly all of Obama’s staff were the ones involved in the destruction of the Serbs during the 90's? Even his senior economic advisor Larry Summers was involved in the economic looting of Russia during the 90's. And I think the destruction of Yugoslavia was just part of a policy to attack Russia. The Nazis did the same thing during WW2 called Operation Blue training Islamic militants in former Yugoslavia eliminating Serb resistance training them there to invade Russia's Southern region to capture the Caspian oil basin in Dagestan. Brezinski laid this out in his 97 book The Grand Chessboard. The strategic significance of areas surrounding and regions surrounding And he was prominent in pushing US policy in the former Yugoslavia being a senior member of the Balkan Action Council in fact he was one of the co-signatures of the document. “Executive Committee of the Balkan Action Council issued the following statement today calling on the Clinton administration to lead NATO military intervention, including ground troops, in Kosovo:” http://www.southeasteurope.org/documents/pr199.pdf Or the fact that he is the director of ACPC.