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.
South Korea’s air force yesterday apologized for a 2021 midair collision involving two fighter jets, a day after auditors said the pilots were taking selfies and filming during the flight and held them responsible for the accident. “We sincerely apologize to the public for the concern caused by the accident that occurred in 2021,” an air force spokesman told a news conference, adding that one of the pilots involved had been suspended from flying duties, received severe disciplinary action and has since left the military. The apology followed a report released on Wednesday by the South Korean Board of Audit and Inspection,
Indonesian police have arrested 13 people after shocking images of alleged abuse against small children at a daycare center went viral, sparking outrage across the nation, officials said on Monday. Police on Friday last week raided Little Aresha, a daycare center in Yogyakarta on Java island, following a report from a former employee. CCTV footage circulating on social media showed children, most younger than two, lying on the floor wearing only diapers, their hands and feet bound with rags. The police have confirmed that the footage is authentic. Police said they also found 20 children crammed into a room just 3m by 3m. “So
About 240 Indians claiming descent from a Biblical tribe landed at Tel Aviv airport on Thursday as part of a government operation to relocate them to Israel. The newcomers passed under a balloon arch in blue and white, the colors of the Israeli flag, as dozens of well-wishers welcomed them with a traditional Jewish song. They were the first “bnei Menashe” (“sons of Manasseh”) to arrive in Israel since the government in November last year announced funding for the immigration of about 6,000 members of the community from the states of Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India. The community claims to descend from
‘TROUBLING’: The firing of Phelan, who was an adviser to a nonprofit that supported the defense of Taiwan, was another example of ‘dysfunction’ under Trump, a US senator said US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has been fired, a US official and a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in another wartime shakeup at the Pentagon coming just weeks after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ousted the Army’s top general. The Pentagon announced his departure in a brief statement, saying he was leaving the administration “effective immediately,” but it did not provide a reason or say whether it was his decision to go. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Phelan was dismissed in part because he was moving too slowly to implement reforms to
RSS