NATO exercises in Poland have "an aura of the Cold War" about them - Russian Defense Ministry
MOSCOW. July 25 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov has called the scenario of NATO's exercises, which will center on a simulated operation to protect Poland from an invasion by a foreign state, a throwback to the Cold War era.
"As we got ready for today's meeting, we carefully analyzed the information linked to the Steadfast Jazz 2013 exercises that was received from NATO states," Antonov said at a Russia-NATO Council session in Brussels.
"It is not a secret that the Russian Defense Ministry is perplexed by the proclaimed goal of these maneuvers, which envision the application of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty regarding a response to an armed attack on Poland. These exercises have an aura of the Cold War about them. How can such acts contribute to confidence building measures between NATO countries and Russia?", he said.
Russia also notes NATO member states' heightened interest toward exercises in the Russian Armed Forces, Antonov said.
"I am primarily speaking about the Zapad (West) 2013 maneuvers set for autumn, as well as the new method we have applied recently to assess the combat readiness of our forces - surprise exercises in units and divisions within a military district and its command," he said.
Russia has made a serious step toward enhancing military transparency by agreeing to voluntarily inform the members of the Russia-NATO Council of the goals and tasks facing the Zapad 2013 Russian-Belarusian maneuvers, he said.
"I would like to stress that it is the first time such steps have been taken in advance, but not after the exercises, as happened earlier," he said.
"I would like to remind you that the scenario of the Zapad 2013 exercises includes a simulated operation to combat terrorist groups and armed units invading the territory of our ally - Belarus," the deputy minister said.
"What is noteworthy is that unlike NATO's briefing on the Steadfast Jazz 2013 exercises in May, we have provided a more detailed explanation of the goals and tasks of our exercises, the stages of their preparations, the planned operations of the Armed Forces, the district of the exercises with the names of training ranges and territories, the structure of command centers, the composition of their participants, as well as the amount of military hardware. Isn't it an additional contribution to the development of voluntary military transparency?", Antonov said.
Following consultations with Belarusian military officials, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu decided to invite representatives of other states' Defense Ministries to watch the Zapad 2013 maneuvers, Antonov said.
"We will certainly hold additional press briefings before and after the exercises. We will keep in touch with colleagues from European countries and journalists during the exercises all the time," he said.
Antonov said he hoped that such an approach would be properly understood and presented in official commentaries by European states.
