...

NATO should strengthen relations with non-member countries: Russia’s permanent representative

Politics Materials 3 April 2009 14:43 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, March 3 / Trend , E.Tariverdiyeva, E.Ostapenko/

It is obvious that NATO should maintain partnership and friendly relations with the states that formally are not and are not going to become members of the alliance but can be productive partners, Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said.

"It is countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan, and Central Asian countries," Rogozin told Trend in a telephone conversation from Brussels on Apr. 3.

"To make this kind of partnership the alliance must cease to act against Russian interests and must try to look at many of the processes in the world by "our eyes". Then they will understand our concern about NATO's actions and will possibly change their policy," Rogozin said.

Discussion of Russia's future relations with NATO is one of the important topics of the NATO anniversary summit taking place in Kehl, Germany, and Strasbourg, France, on Apr. 3-4.

Rogozin believes that for NATO it is important to maintain good relations not only with Russia but with all countries that have a neutral position or participate in any regional coalition.

Another important theme of the upcoming summit is to choose a new Secretary General of the alliance. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, supported by the U.S. and Europe, is the most likely candidate for the next secretary general office. The new leader to replace Dutch Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will come into office on Aug. 1.

Mr. Rasmussen is not a Russophile, but he has even more problems with the Islamic world. Rasmussen should reflect on the need to mitigate his attitude towards the Islamic world, Rogozin said.

As a result of the scandal with publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2006, Rasmussen, like the rest of Denmark, does not enjoy great popularity in the Islamic world.

"We are least emotional. We are more interested in concrete actions that the new secretary general can make. It is important for us that the policy under the new secretary general was not worse than under Scheffer," said Rogozin. 

Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at [email protected]

Latest

Latest