CSTO IS BROUGHT CLOSER TO NATO

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ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI SUGGESTS A POLITICAL AND MILITARY ALLIANCE WITH RUSSIA

Zbigniew Brzezinski suggests a NATO-CSTO pact.


Political scientist Zbigniew Brzezinski suggested an "official pact" between NATO and the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) which he said might involve Russia in "a political and military alliance with the Euro-Atlantic community". NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is only prepared to build up trust between Brussels and Moscow at this time.

Political advisor to President Jimmy Carter in 1977-1981, Brzezinski is a notorious hawk of the Cold War era. These days, he suggests to “buttress European security by involving Russia in political and military contacts with the Euro-Atlantic community.” Among other things, it would indirectly curb “Russia’s imperial ambitions.” Outlining steps that would bind Russia closer to the West in a piece published in the latest Foreign Affairs issue, Brzezinski suggested an official treaty between NATO and the Moscow-led CSTO. Brzezinski explained that Russia had expressed interest in such a pact but NATO ducked all offers to sign it because they implied a “military-political symmetry” between the two organizations.

According to Brzezinski, the cooperation agreement should include a clause permitting non-members to join any signatory or both of them at once.

Rasmussen restricted his comments on Brzezinski’s initiative to deliberately vague phrases. “We should consider the possibility of advancement of trust between Russia and NATO,” he said. “Any idea on how to build up trust will have my unprejudiced attention.” By and large, Rasmussen had suggested strategic partnership between the Alliance and Russia in the past.

The CSTO was pleased to learn of Rasmussen’s words concerning closer relations as suggested by Brzezinski, a source in its Secretariat told INTERFAX – Military News Agency. “On the other hand, the CSTO is not exactly euphoric over what Rasmussen said… Decisions in the Alliance are made by defense ministers, foreign ministers, and heads of states. Opinion of the Secretary General may differ from the Alliance’s official position,” the source explained.

Russian Representative to NATO Dmitry Rogozin told Nezavisimaya Gazeta that NATO HQ was pondering Brzezinski’s idea and formulating its attitude toward it. “So far as I know, Rasmussen did not even read Brzezinski’s article as such. His statement concerned the Russian-NATO relations in general,” Rogozin said. “The new Secretary General stands for everything positive that exists in the relations between Russia and the Alliance.”

Rogozin did read the article in question and got the impression that Brzezinski remains firmly convinced that Russia should be leashed. “Brzezinski perceives himself as someone… who moves pawns on the international chessboard,” Rogozin said. He cautioned that Brzezinski’s idea of a NATO-CSTO pact might be a ruse intended to waive objections of Moscow to continued expansion of the Alliance. By and large, Brzezinski stands for expansion of the global role of NATO and its geographic enlargement, Rogozin said.

Rogozin pointed out that the article by Brzezinski also suggested an analogous pattern of dealing with China. The political scientist had said that it was necessary to advance security cooperation with China through contacts with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. “They want China’s hands tied by all sorts of commitments promoting interests of the West,” Rogozin said.

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