NATO claims the right to deploy forces in Eastern Europe

NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana on May 29 accused Russia repealed everything in the founding act on NATO-Russia relations by opening a military operation in Ukraine and stopping dialogue with the alliance.

Under the founding act on NATO-Russia relations of 1997 aimed at re-establishing ties between the alliance and Moscow, the two sides agreed to act to “prevent any potential threat to the deployment of military forces”. in the agreed areas of Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe”.

NATO’s deputy secretary general accused Russia of being aggressive with its neighbors and also not consulting regularly with the alliance. “So I think that in fact, this founding act is no longer valid because of Russia,” he stressed.

Geoana declared that NATO has no barriers left in terms of establishing a strong position on the eastern flank and ensuring every inch of territory in the alliance is protected under Article 5.

Article 5 of the NATO treaty stipulates that any attack on a member of the bloc is considered an attack on the whole alliance and NATO will coordinate a response.

The NATO deputy secretary general did not elaborate on the force deployment plan, but said he expected the bloc to have a “strong, flexible and sustainable presence”.

Russia has not yet responded to the statement of the Deputy Secretary General of NATO. Leaders of NATO member states will attend a summit in Madrid, Spain, at the end of June to approve any changes to the alliance.

After Russia launched a military campaign in Ukraine In February, Finland and Sweden decided to consider joining NATO, abandoning their decades-old policy of no military alliance. Russia calls this a threat to it, insisting that NATO expansion does not make Europe or the world more stable.

Ngoc Anh (Follow AFP)