No. 16. (16/05/97)       The Agreement between NATO and Russia

Javier Solana NATO Secretary General and Primakov Russian Foreign Minister on 14th May announced that after long negotiations they have succeeded in gaining some progress in all debated questions during the discussions for the agreement determining the relationship between the North-Atlantic Organisation and Russia, so the text of the agreement between NATO and Russia successfully gained its final form.
After this the agreement will be submitted to the heads of government of the member states of NATO and to Boris Yeltsin, Russian President for approval. If those affected accept the agreement - according to the preliminary plans - , on 27th May in Paris the document to be called the "Basic Document" will be ceremonially signed.

In the preambulum of the document containing 5 chapters NATO takes on the obligation to adapt to the new European security conditions, it reviews the new strategy doctrine accepted in 1991, Moscow is to further progress on the road to democratisation.
The second chapter deals with the basic principles of the co-operation, and it states that it is the sovereign right of every state to decide: in what way they take care of their security.
The third chapter contains the case of creation of the permanent Russia-NATO council. The council is to meet twice a year at the level of foreign and defence minister, and monthly at ambassador level. The council is to decide on security policy questions that do not affect the internal affairs of NATO (e.g. peace keeping, crisis handling). The leadership of the body will be carried out by a three member presidency, a member of which will be the present NATO Secretary General. Apart from this Moscow is to send a permanent mission to Brussels.
The fourth chapter deals with military questions. On the territory of the new member states only minimal military operations can take place. In this part it was also stated that the new member countries will decide for themselves - at the traditional arms disarmament negotiations in Vienna - regarding the number of foreign soldiers to be stationed on their territory.

NATO announces in the document that in the "foreseeable future it does not plan, does not intend to and does not find it necessary" to put atomic weapons in the territory of the new member countries, it limits the number of the soldiers to be stationed in the new member countries. An agreement has come about with respect to developments in connection with military infrastructure.

At the joint press conference held by Javier Solana and Primakov both of the politicians said that the agreement is the result of serious arguments. The NATO Secretary General acknowledged that during the negotiations Primakov strongly defended Russian interests. "I, just the same, represented the NATO point of view. Good sense won, and we can all be proud of the result" he declared. Primakov also spoke about the victory of common sense, and called the agreement the victory of the world community interested in peace and co-operation.  

Boris Yeltsin in a television interview said that the North-Atlantic Organisation Secretary General and the Russian foreign minister had had very difficult talks. Russia is still against the extension of NATO, at the same time following the Paris signing they will approach the new situation more calmly. President Yeltsin said that Javier Solana had confirmed: NATO is ready to guarantee Russia's security.

Bill Clinton, American president called the event a historic step, which opens the road to a unified, undivided Europe. He confirmed: Moscow has not received any sort of veto right, and NATO has not taken on any obligation to not develop the new members' defence infrastructure to the level of the present members.
In his press conference he stated that the agreement equally contributes to the increase in the security of the United States, Europe and Russia, and furthermore lays down the long term co- operation basis between Russia and NATO. He said that the agreement is evidence of that the expansion of NATO is possible in parallel with the development of a partner relationship with Moscow.

The British government welcomed the NATO-Russian agreement in a short announcement. London is of the opinion that in the case of NATO expansion Russia did not obtain most of their requirements.
A BBC analysis spoke about that Moscow had not succeeded in putting into the agreement their ideas on that NATO abandon putting troops and nuclear weapons in the area of the new member nations. This could not have lead to results as it would have qualified the membership of the East-European applicants as "second class".

The French government reacted very carefully to the agreement. Jacques Rummelhardt, spokesman of the foreign ministry emphasised that the agreement has still to be confirmed by the Russian government, and by the highest decision making body of NATO. He emphasised that furthermore the plan is that the agreement be signed in Paris on 27th May.