Russia slams NATO’s ‘cold war’ standards / NATO chief says alliance suspends meetings, military mission with Russia

 

Russia accused NATO on Wednesday of applying double standards and “Cold War” stereotypes to Moscow after the Western alliance said it was reviewing cooperation with Russia over tensions in Ukraine.

“This meeting proved that NATO still has a double standard policy. And Cold War stereotypes are still applied towards Russia,” Russian’s envoy Alexander Grushko told reporters after a meeting of NATO and Russian officials to discuss Ukraine.

Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that ambassadors for NATO’s 28 member states decided after a meeting with their Russian counterpart to suspend plans for a joint mission as well as all civilian and military meetings.

Rasmussen said because of Russia’s military action in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula “the entire range of NATO-Russia cooperation (is) under review.”

• Rasmussen said the alliance will continue to meet with Moscow at the political level but insisted that halting all other cooperation “sends a very clear message to Russia.”

He also said NATO decided “to intensify our partnership with Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel “discussed possible scenarios for international co-operation in the normalization of the social and political situation,” the Kremlin said in a statement.
U.N. special envoy to Crimea Robert Serry cut short his mission to the region Wednesday after unidentified gunmen threatened him and ordered him to leave, an assistant travelling with him told AFP.
Serry, who had been sent to assess the situation in the disputed Black Sea peninsula for UN chief Ban Ki-moon, was confronted by gunmen outside the Ukrainian naval headquarters in Crimea’s capital Simferopol.
After he was prevented from returning to his vehicle, he dropped into a cafe to use a telephone to alert the mission of the incident, and an angry group of pro-Russian activists briefly blocked his exit, the aide said.
Serry then left on foot for his hotel after his safety was assured, and he was driven to the airport where he was in a lounge waiting for a flight.
“He’s fine. The self-defense militias in Simferopol have guaranteed his security,” Serry’s assistant told AFP by phone from the car.
“He wants to fly to Kiev but there is no ticket for him yet. He is hoping that he can leave Crimea without further incident,” she said.
Serry himself would not speak on the phone.
U.N. deputy secretary general Jan Eliasson said: “He is in good shape physically but he feels threatened.”
Serry, a former Dutch ambassador to Kiev who was travelling with a U.N. colleague, was accosted by gunmen outside the naval headquarters on Wednesday and warned “he should leave Crimea,” according to the United Nations.
Serry had arrived only Tuesday in the tense Crimean peninsula, which has come under de facto control by Russian forces.
He had already aborted a trip to Crimea last week, saying tensions made it impossible to visit the peninsula.
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2014/03/05/Gunmen-threaten-U-N-envoy-to-Crimea.html
5/3/14
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• Remarks by the NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the Press Conference held following the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council at NATO HQ, Brussels.

"Good evening.
The situation in Ukraine presents serious implications for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.
And Russia continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its own international commitments.
So NATO decided today to take a number of immediate steps.
We have suspended the planning for our first NATO-Russia joint mission. The maritime escort for the U.S. ship Cape Ray, which will neutralise Syria’s chemical weapons. Let me stress, this will not affect the destruction of chemical weapons, but Russia will not be involved in the escort of the US vessel.
We have also decided that no staff-level civilian or military meetings with Russia will take place for now.
We have put the entire range of NATO-Russia cooperation under review. NATO Foreign Ministers will take decisions on this in early April.
These steps send a clear message: Russia’s actions have consequences.
At the same time, we do want to keep the door open for political dialogue. So we are ready to maintain meetings of ambassadors in the NATO-Russia Council, as we have done today.
I have just chaired a frank and important meeting of the NATO-Russia Council to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
The NATO-Russia Council is a forum for discussions on all issues. Where we agree, and where we disagree.
As Chairman of the NATO-Russia Council, it is my duty to uphold the principles on which our relationship is founded.
Those fundamental principles are now at stake. Our joint pledge to observe in good faith our obligations under international law. And our commitment to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, or any other state.
So I asked the Russian Ambassador to convey NATO’s firm message to Moscow.
At the same time we have decided to intensify our partnership with Ukraine, and strengthen our cooperation to support democratic reforms.
We will step up our engagement with the Ukrainian civilian and military leadership............." http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/opinions_107743.htm
5/3/14