Interfax
April 10, 2014
Russian Foreign Ministry: NATO tries to use Ukraine crisis for its own consolidation in face of imaginary military threat
MOSCOW: The Russian authorities view NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s accusations against Moscow as an attempt to bolster the relevance of the alliance, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a commentary posed on its website on Thursday.
“The secretary general’s constant accusations against us suggest that the alliance is trying to use the crisis in Ukraine to “consolidate its ranks” in the face of some imaginary external threat allegedly facing NATO countries, as well as to reinforce the relevance of the alliance in these issues in the 21st century,” the ministry said.
=========================================
Russian Information Agency Novosti
April 10, 2014
NATO Double Standard Undermines Ukraine’s Stability – Russian Foreign Ministry
MOSCOW: Recent statements by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the situation in Ukraine as well as the alliance’s double standard on Crimea have hindered a de-escalation of tensions in the country, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.
“Several times over the last few months we have heard nothing constructive in comments by the NATO Secretary General,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The use of double standards is a direct threat to security and stability in the region,” the statement said, referring to NATO members’ support of the coup-imposed regime in Kiev while calling the reunification referendum in Crimea illegitimate.
Earlier this week, the NATO chief voiced concerns about the situation in eastern Ukraine during a conference of the Atlantic alliance in Paris, stressing that Russia’s decision to intervene in Ukraine will turn into a historic mistake and might lead to the country’s international isolation.
“Events in eastern Ukraine are a great concern, I urge Russia to step back. Any further move to eastern Ukraine would represent a serious escalation rather than de-escalation,” Rasmussen said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said that NATO is attempting to use the Ukrainian crisis as an imaginary threat to unite the alliance’s members.
“The constant accusations by the Secretary General directed at us confirm the fact that the alliance is attempting to use the crisis in Ukraine in order to ‘unite ranks’ before an imaginary external threat to NATO member states in order to secure the need for the alliance in the 21st century,” the ministry said.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament backed by far-right movements ousted President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the constitution and scheduled an early presidential election for May 25.
Moscow has described the uprising in Kiev as an illegitimate fascist coup and a military seizure of power, which resulted in it taking steps to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, including the reunification of Crimea. It blames the ongoing crisis in the country on Ukrainian nationalists and their aggressive rhetoric.
Moscow has insisted that a federal form of government is the only way out of the protracted political stalemate in Ukraine, currently a unitary state which is de facto split into a Ukrainian-speaking west and a Russian-speaking east and south.
===================================================
Interfax
April 10, 2014
CSTO, NATO should not interfere in events taking place in Ukraine – Bordyuzha
MINSK: Nikolai Bordyuzha, general secretary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), has expressed concerns about the statements made by the NATO administration on sending experts to Ukraine.
“CSTO and NATO should not interfere in the situation. I am concerned about the constant statements made by the NATO administration on sending experts there, etc. It’s counterproductive and it does not help stabilization of the situation” Bordyuzha told a press conference in Minsk on Thursday.
He recalled that Ukraine is not a member of CSTO. “We cannot influence events taking place there. However, we follow the tendencies. They are undesirable and they lead even further exacerbation of the situation,” Bordyuzha said.
Bordyuzha reiterated that “everything should be decided by the people. It’s the only thing needed to bring peace and calm there.”
Source