Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right) and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero at Konstantinovsky Palace outside St. Petersburg, October 1, 2008
Photo: Alexander Miridonov
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Medvedev Says NATO Giving Bad Signs
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated today at a press conference in St. Petersburg with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero that NATO has given Russia the signal for worsening relations. “Speaking of the general deterioration of the international situation, deteriorating bilateral relations,” Medvedev said, “it’s possible, and the NATO states have given us a definite signal in that sense.”
The Russian president explained that that signal comes from cutbacks in cooperation “in certain specific areas.” He added that he is not inclined to dramatize the situation, since the NATO countries are more interested in cooperation in that area than Russia is. The development of relations between the United States and Russia is closely tied to the U.S. presidential elections, Medvedev added. “It is not important who comes to power in the United States. Their strategic task now is to fix their economy, although making polemics about foreign relations is much easier than making the right economic decisions.”
The war in the Caucasus, possible NATO expansion through the membership of Ukraine and Georgia and the American missile defense system elements located in Poland and the Czech Republic are among the causes of tension between NATO and Russia in recent months.
www.kommersant.com
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