MOSCOW (Sputnik) — NATO military experts have been invited for consultations in Moscow in September on the military-political situation in Europe, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Anatoly Antonov said Monday.
"NATO military experts have been invited to visit Moscow in September 2016 for consultations on the military-political situation in Europe. As a matter of priority, the Russian Defense Ministry considers ensuring, on a mutual basis, that military flights in the Baltics only take place with transponders turned on," Antonov told reporters.
The Russian Defense Ministry is ready for military consultations with all neighboring countries to avoid incidents on sea and air, the deputy defense minister added.
He noted readiness to conduct joint incident prevention work on the basis of bilateral agreements, as well as “consultations with the defense ministries of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Sweden and Finland to address mutual concerns related to military activities in the border areas.”
Russian Defense Ministry Analyzes NATO Warsaw Summit Decisions
The Russian Defense Ministry is performing rigorous analysis of decisions reached at last month’s NATO Warsaw Summit, Antonov said.
"The Defense Ministry is carrying out a meticulous analysis of the decisions voiced in Warsaw… Russian proposed a "positive program" for the development of relations with the alliance at the Russia-NATO Council, the implementation of which would contribute to a de-escalation of tensions and to prevent armed incidents on the contact line between the armed forces of the parties," Antonov said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said members of the alliance agreed at the July 8 Warsaw Summit to strengthen the military bloc’s presence in Eastern Europe by next year. The four-battalion rotational presence would include US troops in Poland, British forces in Estonia, German troops in Lithuania and Canadian forces in Latvia.
Russian Defense Ministry Offers to Review Inactive Russia-NATO Council Programs
The Russian Defense Ministry has informed military attaches to review the previously active Russia-NATO Council programs and exchange assessments of the terrorist threat to combat the spread of Daesh, Antonov said.
"The military attaches have been informed about the proposal to review the previously active military programs under the Russia-NATO Council. In particular, it was noted resuming that Russia-NATO initiatives to cooperate in airspace would contribute to the improvement of aviation safety," Antonov told reporters.
He underscored Moscow’s proposal to establish a military channel to exchange the assessments of the terrorist threat with the primary objective of stemming the spread of the outlawed Daesh and other terrorist organizations.
