Roger McKenzie, Morning Star, April 26, 2023
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference he has no doubts that there is now “very little difference” between the EU and Nato, following closer co-operation agreements between the political and military blocs.
Mr Lavrov said a recently signed joint declaration essentially states that the 31-member Nato military alliance will ensure the security of the 27-member EU.
The foreign minister was referring to a January 19 EU-Nato declaration on their “strategic partnership” which calls last year’s invasion of Ukraine by Russia “the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades.”
The declaration calls the present moment “a key juncture for Euro-Atlantic security and stability” and urges closer EU-Nato co-operation to confront evolving security threats, saying this will contribute to strengthening security in Europe and beyond.
And it encourages the fullest possible involvement of Nato members that don’t belong to the EU and EU members that aren’t part of Nato.
Irish communists have warned that participation in military exercises under an EU umbrella has undermined their country’s longstanding neutrality and non-membership of Nato.
Ukraine is seeking EU membership but has been offered no firm timetable for talks on joining the organisation.
Mr Lavrov was asked whether the war in Ukraine was a miscalculation given the invasion prompted Finland to join, with Sweden next and Ukraine pushing for a roadmap to do so.
“Nato never had any intention of stopping,” Mr Lavrov replied.
He said that Sweden and Finland were “increasingly taking part in Nato military exercises and other actions that were meant to synchronise the military programmes of Nato members and neutral states.”
No comments:
Post a Comment