MOSCOW. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia's efforts to establish a Eurasian security system have been in vain so far, Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, vice president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, said in an interview with the Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper published on Monday.
Europe's careless attitude towards establishment of its own security system may cost it a lot, Ivashov said.
"Lately, Europeans have started to understand what it is all about, too," the general went on. Many countries are starting to look upon Russia as a serious partner in establishment of European security. However it is time to adopt a broader approach to the problem and think about a Eurasian security system. Russia should have a strict policy in the CIS and in Europe to achieve this, he said.
Speaking about geopolitical consequences of Russia's involvement in the U.S. anti-terrorist drive, Ivashov said that it was necessary to differentiate "between a true fight against international terrorism and a new redistribution of the world that helps establish a dictate of a single nation." "The United States has risen to the occasion to demonstrate its military power and to launch a new spire of its expansion all over the world," Ivashov stressed.
According to him, the leaders of Central Asian nations were too quick to invite the U.S. and NATO troops in their territory and made a serious strategic mistake while pursuing transitory political and economic goals.
"Russia is not viewed by the United States as an equal partner or ally. The U.S. withdrawal from the ABM Treaty is a direct proof of it," the general said.
Ivashov headed the main department of international military cooperation in the Russian Defense Ministry until 2001.