The NATO defence Ministers on Wednesday, February 10, approved a new permanent strengthening of the position of the Alliance in Eastern Europe. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on the results of the first day meeting of defense Ministers of the Alliance.
NATO exercise in Germany in late January 2016. Photo: Markus Rauchenberger/ZUMAPRESS.com/ Global Look
“It’s about a rotational multinational forces, conducting exercises and having the means to obtain reinforcements. The exact number of new NATO troops in Eastern Europe, our staff will identify patterns in the spring,” he said.
Stoltenberg added that NATO has already placed 6 staffs in Eastern Europe and another 2 will be deployed there until the end of 2016.
“NATO will deploy in Eastern Europe as many forces as he thought necessary. Most importantly, they can be multinational to emphasize that an attack on any ally is an attack on all NATO countries”, – said Stoltenberg.
In addition, the Alliance will continue to adapt and strengthen its military capabilities in the black sea region, “including its naval forces, and intelligence capabilities and opportunities for the transfer of reinforcements”.
In his opinion, the cause of all of these efforts – “it is the decisive actions of Russia, which does not hesitate to use force to change borders in Europe or to intimidate their neighbors.”
Stoltenberg also says that NATO “supports the modernization of the Vienna document of the OSCE on military transparency”.
“The Alliance fully supports the German presidency of the OSCE in the work on modernization of the Vienna document of the OSCE (2011) on military transparency. I have appointed a special representative to coordinate this work between the OSCE and NATO”, – quotes Stoltenberg TASS.
In particular, the Alliance wishes to register in the document mechanisms to prevent sudden military exercises that practiced by Russia.
In accordance with the Vienna document, the participating States exchange information annually on military forces and major weapons systems and technology, planning in the field of defense and military budgets in order to increase stability and reduce the threat of military conflict in the OSCE region.
The Chairman of the Duma Committee on defense, former black sea fleet commander Vladimir Komoedov, commenting on the words of Stoltenberg about the build-up of NATO forces in the black sea region, has reminded NATO on the Montreux Convention, which limits the period of stay of warships in the Black sea.
“First, the black sea theatre – it closed, in fact, an inland sea, connected only to the Mediterranean Straits,” – said Komoedov on Wednesday. He recalled that “there are rules for its use, there is a Declaration of Montreux, to whom, how much and how to stay there”. In particular, the document provides “a stay not exceeding 21 days in the Black sea for warships nachimovsky States”, recalled the Deputy.
“And geographically, of course, he (the Alliance) will be there to accumulate power – in Turkey, in Bulgaria, in Romania,” says Komoedov. “So we should expect a strengthening of this group,” he said. However, “this does not mean that there will be 20, 30, 50 ships,” he explained. “Enough power to conduct surveillance, to monitor the situation, and then, proceeding from the existing situation, to take some decisions”, – says the head of the Duma defense Committee.
“We need more time to balance. We have a lot more to build and much be replaced, much to repair”, – said Komoedov, implying the naval forces of Russia.
