Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday repeated his warning to NATO over its further enlargement of the 26-nation military alliance, saying it was a "direct threat."
"The appearance of a powerful military bloc along our borders would be taken in Russia as a direct threat to the security of my country," Putin told a press conference after meeting NATO leaders who concluded a three-day summit here Friday.
Moscow has long been concerned about an expanding NATO which has moved toward its borders. The military alliance, originally set up in 1949 to counter the military power of a similar bloc led by the former Soviet Union, has grown up from 12 members to the current 26 members through five enlargements.
Though NATO countries maintained that the expansion was not directed at Russia, Moscow remained unconvinced.
"Statements that it is not directed at us cannot be taken as sufficient. Security cannot be based on promises," Putin said.
In the latest enlargement move, NATO leaders Thursday handed down membership invitations to Croatia and Albania, which would allow the two Western Balkan countries to embark on accession talks with NATO.
Macedonia, the third aspirant in the region, was effectively blocked by Greece due to a country name dispute.
What aroused more concerns for Russia was the thwarted attempt at the summit by U.S. President George W. Bush to put Ukraine and Georgia, the two Eastern European countries, on an immediate path to NATO membership.
The refusal is seen as a big victory for Putin, who is firmly opposed to the incorporation of the two ex-Soviet republics into NATO.
Bush's push was overwhelmed by his German and French colleagues, who fear a hasty expansion of NATO into Eastern Europe would further provoke the Kremlin and upset the strategic balance with Russia.
However, NATO leaders pledged to have Ukraine and Georgia in the alliance one day.
"I heard them saying today that the expansion is not directed against Russia. But it's the potential, not intentions that matters," Putin said.
Describing Friday's meeting as "frank and open," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer told a separate new conference that there were no stunning breakthroughs achieved.
"It is true that NATO enlargement is a contentious issue. The minds do not exactly meet, to put it mildly," he said.
Source: Xinhua
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