MOSCOW. Dec 24 (Interfax-AVN) - NATO enlargement will not help remove the threat of international terrorism, a statement passed by the Duma international affairs committee on Tuesday reads.
Parliamentarians believe that NATO enlargement to the East "will considerably change the state of security in Europe."
"While recognizing the sovereign right of any independent state to independently join military-political unions, the State Duma believes that quantitative NATO expansion will not solve many problems faced by European countries today. These problems include, above all, the threat of international terrorism. It will not promote security, either of the bloc itself or of countries that have expressed a desire to become members," the statement reads.
Parliamentarians believe that NATO should adapt its political and military structures to the new strategic realities in Europe and in the world in general. Russia-NATO cooperation can take place "within flexible political coalitions" based on common interests, the statement reads.
This statement was passed practically unanimously, with 289 parliamentarians voting for it and one abstention.