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'COLD WAR STEREOTYPES':
RUSSIA CONDEMNS NATO PLAN TO
STRENGTHEN COOPERATION WITH UKRAINE
March 05, 2014
Russia has slammed NATO for applying
“Cold War” stereotypes and double standards after the alliance announced
it will review its relations with Russia while stepping
up engagement with the Ukrainian military.
"This meeting proved that NATO still has a double
standard policy.
And Cold War stereotypes are still
applied towards Russia,"
Russia's NATO envoy, Aleksandr
Grushko, told reporters.
His comment comes as NATO and Russian officials met to
discuss the situation in Ukraine.
Following the meeting, NATO
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced that alliance officials
would put “the entire range of NATO-Russia cooperation under review.”
He stated that NATO
has decided to “take a number of immediate steps” because “Russia continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and
territorial integrity, and its own international commitments.”
“We have also decided that no staff-level civilian or
military meetings with Russia will take place for now,”
Rasmussen added.
Russia and NATO had been discussing a possible joint mission
to protect a US ship that will destroy Syria's deadliest chemical weapons.
However, that plan has been suspended as one of the
“immediate steps.”
“We have suspended the planning for our first NATO-Russia joint mission.
The maritime escort for the US ship
Cape Ray, which will neutralize Syria’s chemical weapons.
Let me stress, this will not affect the destruction of
chemical weapons, but Russia will not be involved in the escort of the US
vessel,”
Rasmussen said.
Nevertheless, NATO is willing to
“keep the door open for political dialogue.
So we are ready to maintain meetings of ambassadors in the
NATO-Russia Council, as we have done today,”
Rasmussen said.
NATO has decided to “intensify our
partnership” and “strengthen our cooperation” with Ukraine in order to “support
democratic reforms.”
“We will step up our engagement with the Ukrainian civilian
and military leadership.
We will strengthen our efforts to
build the capacity of the Ukrainian military, including with more joint
training and exercises.
And we will do more to include Ukraine in our multinational
projects to develop capabilities,”
Rasmussen clarified.
The way NATO sees it, cooperation between the alliance and
Ukraine will “complement the international efforts to support the people of
Ukraine” while they are forming their future.
“Tomorrow, I will meet the prime minister of Ukraine to make
clear NATO’s support,”
he stressed.
The statement from NATO's Secretary General comes on the
same day that Ukrainian parliament reportedly registered a draft bill on
Ukrainian accession to the alliance, submitted by the Batkyvshchina (Fatherland) Party.
