Category: NATOSource

Major reorganization for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla

By Interfax

Premature to discuss NATO peacekeepers in Karabakh conflict zone – Simmons

By Interfax

From Interfax:  It is premature to discuss possible deployment of NATO peacekeepers in the Karabakh conflict zone, NATO Special Envoy for the South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons told a Wednesday press conference in Yerevan. That will require consent of the warring parties and the OSCE Minsk Group, he said. There is no such […]

Van Rompuy accused of power grab over EU foreign policy

By Bruno Waterfield, the Telegraph

From Bruno Waterfield, the Telegraph:  Mr. [Herman] Van Rompuy, the President of the European Council which brings together EU leaders, has been accused of supporting a French proposal to set up a "special task force" on strategic relations that would rival Lady Ashton, who is supposed to be in charge of Europe’s foreign policy.

U.S. and Russian military establish “a rhythm of consultations”

By Lisa Daniel, Armed Forces Press Service

From Lisa Daniel, Armed Forces Press Service:  Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Russian Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov opened the door to military-to-military relations between their countries that have been mostly closed for the past two years, Pentagon officials said today.

US Ambassador on how the Afghan war has changed NATO

By the Voice of America

From the Voice of America:  VOA: "How has NATO’s participation in the Afghan war changed the organization, or has it?" Amb. Daalder: "This used to be an organization that was ready to react to an event that might occur, an attack on its territory. Now, this is an organization that is engaged in military operations […]

NATO invites Russia to join talks in Lisbon in November

By David Brunnstrom, Reuters

From David Brunnstrom, Reuters:  NATO invited Russia on Wednesday to attend talks with leaders of alliance countries during a summit in Lisbon in November, hoping to boost cooperation on security issues, including Afghanistan and Iran. NATO diplomats said they were waiting for a response from Moscow to the invitation, which would involve talks on the […]

Russia ‘concerned’ by NATO activity in Arctic

By Itar-Tass

From Itar-Tass:  Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday NATO’s presence in the Arctic is not necessary. “We can well do without NATO in the Arctic,” Medvedev said after talks with Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg. Arctic’s natural resources have nothing to do with NATO, “it is a zone of economic cooperation, and the presence […]

Secretary General reveals key challenges to new Strategic Concept

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  I am just about to complete my draft of the Strategic Concept. I will send it to nations, this month, and there will be on October 14th, what we call a “Jumbo” meeting of all the NATO Foreign and Defence Ministers, here in this building, to give their views on […]

NATO SecGen says Taliban “cannot win” in Afghanistan

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

From Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO:  Of course, it will be impossible to defeat every last Taliban fighter. That’s not the idea. But we can keep them under pressure, prevent them from achieving their political goals, and train Afghan forces to do the same. That’s exactly what we’re doing. . Second: they assume the Taliban would […]