MOSCOW, June 25 (AVN) - The Russian peacekeeping contingent in the Balkans is ready to team up with the NATO troops to assist Macedonia in disarming Albanian separatists, Airborne Commander Georgy Shpak said on Monday.
Both the 1st separate airborne brigade within SFOR and the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent within KFOR can be used for this purpose, Shpak told the Military News Agency. They have gained experience in similar operations at the Balkans, they have reliable materiel and trained personnel and are ready to enter Macedonia in a short period of time, he said.
Shpak recalled Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov's statement that the Russian peacekeepers' involvement in the NATO operations can only take place "on conditions equal with the Alliance" and that the decision will mostly depend on the Macedonian leadership's attitude towards the joint operation."
Neither the Macedonian government nor the president have appealed to the Russian leadership over the matter, the commander stressed.