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Russian President Voices Opposition to NATO Expansion
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday restated Moscow's opposition to the eastward enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
He made the remarks at a meeting in the Kremlin with NATO Secretary General George Robertson, who arrived here Monday for a three-day working visit to boost the stagnant NATO-Russian ties.
Putin told Robertson that significant changes for the better have taken place in the relations between Russia and NATO thanks to both sides' efforts since Robertson's trip to Moscow in February 2000.
However, NATO's expansion remains one of most worrying problems for Russia, said the president. "We are against the enlargement of the alliance, and will not change this principled stand. We call for a more constructive dialogue," he added.
Putin said Russia is also prepared to develop constructive cooperation with NATO in the security field, to expand the Russian- U.S. missile launch notification center in Moscow with invitations to European countries.
Robertson recognized the progress in NATO-Russia relations achieved in the past year. In his opinion, the progress justified Russia's decisions to resume relations with the alliance in a step- by-step fashion.
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