MUNICH. Feb 9 (Interfax-AVN) - NATO will start operating in the zone of Russia's vital interests with the accession of the seven new members, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on February 9.
"I would like to remind representatives of the alliance that with its enlargement, they will begin operating in the zone of our country's vital interests," Ivanov said at an international conference in Munich.
"NATO should consider our concerns in the spheres of both politics and security provided its desire for partnership is genuine," he said.
"We have been told that the NATO infrastructure emerging in Eastern European countries is aimed at ensuring its efficient participation in anti-terrorist actions. I agree that some of the facilities in Bulgaria and Romania can be used as a springboard for operations in the Middle East. However, I would like it explained to me where international terrorism will be fought with the help a NATO infrastructure in Poland and the Baltic states," he said.
"We certainly are not going to interfere into the alliance's expansion policy. We are not going to dictate our terms to the candidates for NATO membership. However, we have rights consistent with our participation in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and we intend to resort to them," he said.
In the past five years, Russia has complied with its unilateral commitments on reducing weaponry in the Kaliningrad and Pskov regions as well as the Leningrad military district.
"With the accession of the new members to NATO, this situation will change drastically," he said.
"Speaking frankly, the weaker regime of control over conventional weapons in Europe does not meet Russia's national security interests, but, it is not an irreparable loss. We possess a sufficient arsenal of means and methods of ensuring our interests and our security," he said.