- Title: NATO, Baltics concerned over Russia ahead of Warsaw NATO summit
- Date: 16th May 2016
- Summary: TALLINN, ESTONIA (MAY 14, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF TALLINN LENNART MERI CONFERENCE VENUE CONFERENCE FLAGS AUDIENCE AT CONFERENCE PANEL DISCUSSION IN PROGRESS NATO DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL ALEXANDER VERSHBOW SPEAKING ON STAGE AUDIENCE LISTENING ESTONIAN PRESIDENT TOOMAS HENDRIK ILVES IN AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATO DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL, ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, SAYING: "I think that allies increasingly understand - perhaps much more than they did in the immediate aftermath of the annexation of Crimea - that we're dealing with a Russia that is a revanchist power, that is seeking to reverse a lot of the post-Cold War settlement, which claims the right to a sphere of privileged interests in its neighbourhood, which is of course using force to change borders." BREAKFAST DISCUSSION "THE BALTIC GAP: HOW CREDIBLE IS NATO'S DETERRENCE POSTURE?" IN PROGRESS SWEDISH DEFENCE MINISTER PETER HULTQVIST AND ESTONIAN DEFENCE MINISTER HANNES HANSO LISTENING ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER TAAVI ROIVAS LISTENING PEOPLE WATCHING THROUGH DOOR (SOUNDBITE) (English) ESTONIAN PRIME MINISTER, TAAVI ROIVAS, SAYING: "Military view is that it should be beyond battalion but I think moving to the battalion is the next step. And let's see where we go from there." VARIOUS OF PANEL DISCUSSION IN PROGRESS (FORMER SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER CARL BILDT TALKING) ROIVAS LISTENING PANEL DISCUSSION IN PROGRESS ARMY OFFICIALS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) PROFESSOR OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, MARK GALEOTTI, SAYING: "It's not so much that actually Russia is sitting and thinking 'how can we invade the Baltic States?' It's more I think the fear that if the Baltic States look weak and easily pluckable from the tree then it may create some temptation within Moscow. So I think that's what they really trying to avoid, is using a very very tough posture in order to ensure there is no feeling in Moscow that it might be worth trying." PANEL DISCUSSION IN PROGRESS VERSHBOW SHOWN ON SCREEN (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATO DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL, ALEXANDER VERSHBOW, SAYING: "First of all we have to remind people that we are still a nuclear alliance, and we'll do that at Warsaw. And that we continue to have a nuclear deterrent underpinning the conventional moves that we're making. It doesn't mean that we have to mirror image what the Russians are doing but we do have to at least clarify in our declaratory posture that the Russians should have no illusion that if they were to use nuclear weapons first in this so called de-escalation scenario it would change the whole nature of conflict and NATO is a nuclear alliance and has the capabilities to respond. We have to convince them that they can't either blackmail us or believe that they could force us to give in through a limited use of nuclear weapons". VARIOUS OF ILVES IN DISCUSSION PANEL DISCUSSION IN PROGRESS AUDIENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, LINAS ANTANAS LINKEVICIUS, SAYING: "In the military doctrine of Russia, nuclear weapons are becoming more and more important, and frankly speaking we do not have control mechanisms, especially with regard to the tactical nuclear weapons. We have at least no control mechanisms after CFE (Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe) was frozen (by Russia) at all, talking about its conventional forces. But tactical nukes were not accounted at all and were not discussed, so when some country puts more emphasis on the use or possible use during the crisis, definitely we have to adequately react. And then this is also part of our debate." AUDIENCE AT PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATOR TALKING CONFERENCE LOGO
- Embargoed: 31st May 2016 11:21
- Keywords: Lennart Meri NATO Alexander Vershbow Baltics Baltic states Russia
- Location: TALLINN, ESTONIA
- City: TALLINN, ESTONIA
- Country: Estonia
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,International/National Security
- Reuters ID: LVA0014I2446X
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Concerns over Russia dominated discussions at a foreign affairs and security policy conference in Estonia on Saturday (May 14).
With less than two months to go until what is shaping up to be a momentous NATO summit in Warsaw, the organisation's Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow said that Russia was increasingly a "revanchist power" seeking to "reverse a lot of the post-Cold War settlement".
Russia has stepped up its military posture since annexing Ukraine's Crimea region in 2014. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is planning its biggest build-up in eastern Europe since the Cold War to try to deter further Russian aggression. Its deliberations ahead of the Warsaw summit in July include the deployment of four battalions to the Baltic states and Poland, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has said.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the conference, Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas called for more, saying "it should be beyond battalion" but added that the possible deployment was a good first step. At the upcoming NATO summit, the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will reiterate their request for a permanent presence of battalion-sized deployments of allied troops in each of their territories.
Mark Galeotti, Professor of Global Affairs at New York University, said this was not a case of paranoia on the part of the Baltics. They do not necessarily think Russia is planning to invade, Galeotti said, but want to ensure that they do not look like easy pickings.
"I think that's what they really trying to avoid, is using a very very tough posture in order to ensure there is no feeling in Moscow that it might be worth trying," Galeotti told Reuters.
The Kremlin denies any intentions to attack the Baltic countries, but it has often said that they have become an aggressive "Russophobic kernel" pushing NATO towards a consistently anti-Russian course.
Amid high Russia-West tension, Moscow has expressed alarm at a ballistic missile defence shield which the United States has activated in Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last week it was a step to a new arms race, vowing to adjust budget spending to neutralise "emerging threats" to Russia.
"We have to remind people that we are still a nuclear alliance, and we'll do that at Warsaw. And that we continue to have a nuclear deterrent underpinning the conventional moves that we're making," Vershbow said in Tallinn.
"We have to convince [Russia] that they can't either blackmail us or believe that they could force us to give in through a limited use of nuclear weapons," he added.
The United States switched on the $800 million missile shield at a Soviet-era base in Romania on Thursday (May 12) saying it was a defence against missiles from Iran and so-called rogue states. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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