Moscow hopes this year to strike an unprecedented deal with NATO, which would allow Cold War foes to deploy combat units on each other's territories, Itar-Tass news agency quoted Russia's defense chief as saying on Sunday.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov's statement, made in Oslo, contrasted sharply with previous remarks in which he said Russia might review its NATO-friendly military stance if the alliance did not change its "offensive" nature.
"This year I hope we will sign an agreement with NATO on the status of forces," Tass quoted Ivanov as saying.
"The document will allow NATO units equipped with armor onto our territory and our units equipped with armor onto the territory of alliance countries," he said, adding that it would be part of Russia and NATO's joint fight against terrorism.
The deal, if signed, would be a new step in post-Cold War cooperation between Russia and NATO, strongly promoted by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a part of his strive to strengthen ties with the West.
In 2001, Russia joined the US-led "war on terror" and backed a military operation in Afghanistan, allowing a fly-through route for NATO planes and the use of its railways for the alliance's cargo.
Moscow also encouraged its Central Asian ex-Soviet allies -- Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan -- to allow a NATO military presence during the Afghan operation.
In a further signal of seeking closer ties with NATO, Ivanov said Russia did not rule out joint navy patrols in the Mediterranean Sea to intercept illegal migrants and unspecified "dangerous cargo."
But Ivanov, quoted by Tass, said joint patrols were only possible "with strict adherence to international law and the framework of Russian legislation," in a clear reference to Moscow's opposition to US plans to intercept ships suspected of being used by "international terrorists."
Despite the partnership with NATO, Russia felt uncomfortable last week when the alliance moved closer to its borders, adopting the three ex-Soviet Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, some of which have strained relations with Moscow.
Moscow has said it saw no reason for the expansion other than to encircle Russia -- something NATO officials deny.
In an article, published last month by respected magazine Russia in Global Affairs, Ivanov accused NATO of maintaining an anti-Russian bias and an "offensive military doctrine."
He said Moscow might rethink its military position if the alliance failed to transform itself into a largely political, rather than military, organization.
The state Duma said on Wednesday that it would advise Putin to "adopt appropriate measures to safely guarantee Russia's security" if NATO ignored Moscow's concerns.
However, in a move signaling Moscow's acceptance of the inevitable, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met NATO counterparts in Brussels on Friday.
At that meeting, the flags of the seven new members of NATO were raised for the first time at NATO's headquarters.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
CONFLICTING REPORTS: Beijing said it was ‘not familiar with the matter’ when asked if Chinese jets were used in the conflict, after Pakistan’s foreign minister said they were The Pakistan Army yesterday said it shot down 25 Indian drones, a day after the worst violence between the nuclear-armed rivals in two decades. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed to retaliate after India launched deadly missile strikes on Wednesday morning, escalating days of gunfire along their border. At least 45 deaths were reported from both sides following Wednesday’s violence, including children. Pakistan’s military said in a statement yesterday that it had “so far shot down 25 Israeli-made Harop drones” at multiple location across the country. “Last night, India showed another act of aggression by sending drones to multiple locations,” Pakistan military spokesman Ahmed
RSS