"Two weeks ago, I suggested, partially joking, our European partners to exclude the United States from NATO during the 'round table' concerning the crisis of trust in Europe. However, as the saying goes, a truth is often told in a joke. I am sure that such a step [exclusion of US from NATO] would strengthen stability and security on the European continent," Naryshkin told the journalists before the parliamentary session.
The Duma speaker remarked that 20 years ago the lower house of the Russian Parliament issued a similar statement regarding the eastward enlargement of NATO, warning against "the danger of the emergence of new dividing lines in Europe."
On November 25, Naryshkin mentioned separating the United States and NATO at an international round table "Overcoming the crisis of confidence in Europe" in Moscow.
Since its establishment in 1949, the NATO military alliance has seen several additions, notably following the end of the Cold War and mostly involving states of the former Soviet sphere of influence. Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic joined the alliance in 1999. Seven Central and Eastern European countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania) were accepted in 2004, and Albania and Croatia joined in 2009. Currently Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Georgia have stated their desire to become NATO members.
