Azerbaijan, Baku, 12 June /corr. Trend A.Gasimova, E.Tanriverdiyeva / NATO has successfully implemented its function of ensuring security in Europe, despite of the fact that the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, does not agree with it. NATO's Enlargement approach has been very successful indeed for consolidating structural and long-lasting security in Europe, German expert Joachim Koops said.
NATO can not resolve security problems of the Europe, President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev, said making an idea of a new legally liable agreement on the European security.
"I do not have grounds to consider that the security system in Europe is universal. With regards to NATO, it is not suitable to solve the issue of European security," Russian President said.
According to Koops, Medvedev follws former president
Putin's stance, who viewed NATO's eastward expansion as a threat to Russia's interests and sphere of influence. "A fundamental flaw in this
reasoning is that NATO is still portrayed as an overtly military alliance - yet
Eastern Enlargement is mostly about political consolidation and integration," Joachim
Koops, employee of Institute of Social Science
of University of Kiel (Germany), reported to Trend via e-mail on 12 June.
According to the expert, this has to be seen in the context of the EU's parallel efforts within the European Neighbourhood Policy.
"Whether this translates into a wider Eastern European security regime as a whole depends, not the least, on Russia's response and the domestic efforts of Eastern European countries," Koops said.
According to the expert, Of course it is difficult to universalize the European Security architecture, which has been evolving as a twin process of the EU's and NATO's concurrent and mutually reinforcing capacity-building.
"Yet, NATO expansion towards Ukraine and Georgia might not only be an important step towards denser security for these countries,
but with a more sober and pragmatic approach, for Russia as well," he added.
According to Koops, Russia's recent attitude towards NATO has to be viewed in the context of
Georgia's and Ukraine's aims to join NATO
Norwegian expert Asle Toje considers that Russia's concerns is that instead of a gradual US pull-out of Europe, security system in Europe is made universal.
"The enthusiasm Moscow has shown in fuelling divisions among the Europeans on issues such as energy and Kosovo will persuade many that the US is still an "indispensable nation" in European security," senior defence analyst Toje reported to Trend on 12 June via e-mail.
He considers that for this reason most states in Europe are keen to retain NATO the bedrock of European security.
"There is a need to differentiate between
global and regional interests when interpreting Moscow. When Russia effectively disinvites the United States from European security it is a reflection that it
would like to see the it's global and regional interest kept apart, dealing
with the US and
Europe separately," Norwegian expert said.
According to him, for Europe, it is the other way around: Europe would like to keep global and regional security closely intertwined.
Russian politician Vladimir Pribilovski considers that Dmitry Medvedev's statement is fully rhetoric.
"Up to now, NATO has successfully implemented its function. Maybe NATO is not the most universal institute in the system of European security, but Medvedev categorically stated that it does not ensure security. It is just an exaggeration," Pribilovski, the Director of Panorama Analytical Center.
According to him, when Putin and Medvedev make statements unavailable for West, then their first goal is to make statements available for country. Their tactics is to create feeling amongst the population that Russia is surrounded by enemies, including NATO.
"Hostile surrounding is the only justification for existence of undemocratic regime in Russia, and therefore, the population is warned that the West is enemy. At the same time, Russia does not want to quarrel with the West, and this entire rhetoric is envisaged for internal demand," the expert added.