German
Chancellor Angela Merkel has ruled out permanently stationing NATO troops in
Eastern Europe. She said that the alliance will defend the Baltic states, while
upholding its treaty obligations with Russia.
Deutsche Welle, 3 Sep 2014
Speaking at
a news conference on Wednesday, Chancellor Merkel said that Russia would likely
respect the territorial integrity of the three Baltic countries, but
acknowledged that NATO still had to take some measures to reassure its eastern
member states.
"When
it comes to the question of the defense of the Baltic countries, I assume that
the territorial integrity of these countries will be preserved," Merkel
said, discussing Moscow's intentions in the region.
The three
Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - former Soviet republics that are
now NATO members - have observed the Ukraine crisis with growing concern for
their own safety.
Russian
President Vladimir Putin has claimed the right to intervene to defend the
rights of Russian speakers. All three countries have significant
Russian-speaking minorities.
"We
will adopt a series of measures at the NATO summit that will improve the
ability of NATO to react quickly in this region, while respecting the NATO-Russia
act," Merkel said.
Signed in
1997, the NATO-Russia Founding Act prohibits the Western alliance from basing
large number of troops in Eastern Europe, where the former Soviet Union reigned
supreme during the Cold War.
Merkel's
comments come as US President Barack Obama visited Estonia, where he reassured
Tallinn of Washington's commitment to the country's security.
Two-tier
alliance?
The Western
alliance is searching for a way to reassure its eastern members without
provoking the Kremlin. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has
proposed creating a rapid reaction force of up to 5,000 troops and
pre-positioning ammunition, fuel and other military supplies in Eastern Europe.
But on
Tuesday, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that the alliance should
establish permanent bases in his country.
"We
should not have NATO with two-tier countries, with NATO permanent bases and
without," Hendrik said during a trip to Oslo. "This is a wrong signal
to send to the potential aggressor."
Non-lethal
supplies to Ukraine
In
addition, Germany has moved to send non-lethal supplies to the Ukrainian
military, which is battling pro-Russian separatists in its eastern regions. The
supplies would include bulletproof vests, field hospitals and other medical
equipment.
NATO meets
in Newport, Wales on Thursday, where the alliance is expected to adopt a more
concrete plan to defend its eastern member states.
Although
Ukraine is not a NATO member, President Petro Poroshenko will also attend the
summit. Kyiv, officially a non-aligned country, has publicly stated that it
would like to join the Western alliance.
slk/sb (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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