NATO Foreign Ministers will show their steadfast
commitment to Allied collective defence in the wake of the Ukraine
crisis and agree on ways to support Ukraine, said NATO Secretary General
Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the start of the two-day ministerial on
Tuesday (1 April 2014). “Defence starts with deterrence so we will take
the necessary steps to make it clear to the world that no threat against
NATO Allies will succeed,” he said.
Russia’s aggression against Ukraine “challenges our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace,” said the Secretary General. “It fundamentally changes Europe’s security landscape and it causes instability right on NATO’s borders”.
The minister’s first working session will focus on increasing support
for Ukraine and on the consequences of Russia’s illegal military actions
against Ukraine for NATO-Russia relations. They will also meet with
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Deshchytsia in a session of the
NATO-Ukraine Commission. “We will agree on ways to support our
partner Ukraine, with political and practical measures within the
framework of our long-standing partnership,” said Mr. Fogh Rasmussen. “An
independent, sovereign and stable Ukraine, firmly committed to
democracy and respect for human rights, minorities, and the rule of law,
is key to Euro-Atlantic security.”
The Secretary General also said that ministers will make clear that Russia’s actions are unacceptable. “We will take decisions on which cooperation with Russia is still appropriate. Because through its actions, Russia has undermined the principles on which our partnership is built, and has breached its own international commitments. So we cannot go on doing business as usual,” he said.
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_108504.htm
1/4/14
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The Secretary General also said that ministers will make clear that Russia’s actions are unacceptable. “We will take decisions on which cooperation with Russia is still appropriate. Because through its actions, Russia has undermined the principles on which our partnership is built, and has breached its own international commitments. So we cannot go on doing business as usual,” he said.
http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/news_108504.htm
1/4/14
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NATO suspends ‘all practical’ Russia cooperation...
ReplyDeleteThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Tuesday that it was suspending all practical civilian and military cooperation with Russia as it moves to bolster its ties with Ukraine, Reuters reported.
Foreign ministers from the 28 members of the Western military alliance met in Brussels for the first time since Russia's military occupation and annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region triggered the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War.
They were discussing ways to boost NATO's military presence in former communist central and eastern Europe to reassure allies rattled by Russia's moves, according to Reuters.
They will also step up cooperation with Ukraine and decide whether to cut the alliance's relations with Moscow beyond the steps it has already taken, which include halting lower-level meetings with Russian counterparts.
Calling Russia's actions unacceptable, NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: “Through its actions, Russia has undermined the principles on which our partnership is built, and has breached its own international commitments. So we cannot go on doing business as usual,” Reuters reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told Germany's Angela Merkel in a phone call on Monday he had ordered a partial withdrawal of Russian troops from the eastern Ukrainian border, the German chancellor's spokesman said.
But Rasmussen said NATO saw no sign of this. .............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2014/04/01/Ukraine-agrees-to-host-NATO-war-games-.html
1/4/14