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Russia to adjust its military policy due to NATO transformation

Other News Materials 26 October 2006 18:17 (UTC +04:00)

(RIA Novosti) - Russia will have to adjust its military policy in response to NATO's political transformation, the Russian defense minister said Thursday.

Russia has in the past expressed concern over the expansion of NATO bases into the Baltic Region and Central Asia, and has voiced its displeasure over the proposed accession of Georgia and Ukraine to the military alliance, reports Trend.

"We are watching the process of NATO's [political] transformation," Sergei Ivanov, who is also a Russian deputy prime minister, said.

"We realize that the nature of the threats keep changing, and that the main purpose of NATO's formation, which was the Soviet Union, is not essential anymore, while threats and challenges could emerge from anywhere in the world, mainly beyond the borders of Europe. The objective processes of NATO's political transformation call for adjustments in our [Russian] military policy," Ivanov said.

NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer arrived on an official visit to Moscow October 25. On Thursday he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed the development of Russia-NATO relations and other topical international issues.

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