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Putin Stands for Creating Single Security Space in Europe
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday called for setting up an united security system in the Europe instead of the current NAT0.
"It is necessary to either disband NATO, like the Warsaw Pact was disbanded, or admit Russia into the North Atlantic alliance, so that Russia becomes an equal participant in drafting decisions " on key issues of the European continent, Putin said in an interview with the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper, which was cited by Russian media.
In the interview published Monday, on the eve of the G-8 summit in the Italian city of Genoa, Putin said that NATO could be replaced by another security mechanism, which "would unite Europe and create a single space of security and trust."
He noted that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had been created with that aim. "Unfortunately, its activities are often aimed in other directions -- to the Caucasus, the Central Asia", the president said.
Putin urged "maximum trust on the European continent". "Only then real life will change", he stressed, adding that NATO's eastward expansion inhibits the Europe's prospects by creating " various levels of the security system."
"We hear that NATO is mostly a political organization. However, it nevertheless believes it possible to resort to force, also in Europe, bypassing the decisions of the UN Security Council. Therefore, the power aspect of NATO does not cease," Putin said.
He is convinced that NATO expansion does not eliminate the division line in Europe. "It simply moves to our frontiers," which is unacceptable for Russia, Putin emphasized.
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