MOSCOW. December 1 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev recently called on NATO members to consider a common European missile defense system so as not to put the world on the brink of a new arms race, said Col. Gen. Viktor Yesin, a former chief of staff of the Russian Strategic Rocket Forces (RVSN).
"I view this as a call on our partners from the Russia-NATO Council and also on the entire international community to take as seriously as possible the joint analysis of the entire range of issues related to a European missile defense system and not to try to wave away Russia's proposals like annoying flies if NATO has some objections," Yesin told Interfax-AVN commenting on Medvedev's statement on missile defense in his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday.
It is notable that "the Russian president once again saw fit in his address to touch upon the common European missile defense problem and particularly emphasize the negative consequences that will come inevitably in relations between Russia and NATO if they fail to reach a constructive agreement on setting up a joint European missile defense system.
"The establishment of a common European missile defense system is a project that could serve as a trial balloon in building a common European security area. If this is accomplished, this would provide real preconditions for building a common European security area and in the future a Euro-Atlantic security area," Yesin said.
However, if "ambitions prevail and the parties fail to reach an agreement, we should forget about building a common European security area," he said.
"It is hard to disagree with the Russian president that in this case the world will be dragged into another spiral of an arms race within the next ten years. There will be no winners in this race. Contemporary global history indicates that everyone will lose. Huge money will be spent on weapons rather than on improving the living standards of the nations inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere," he said.