Moscow concerned about growing NATO activity near Russian borders — diplomat

MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. The increasing NATO potential in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe and also the alliance’s drills near Russian borders cannot but raise concerns, the Foreign Ministry’s official spokesman said on Thursday.

"We have paid attention to the plans on creating in the shortest time six permanent command centers of the bloc’s structures in the Eastern European and Baltic states for preparing and coordinating the drills of the alliance in the region," Alexander Lukashevich said.

In fact, this means that there is a planned "reconfiguration of forces" on the European space, the diplomat said.

The steps taken by NATO under the pretext of a non-existing threat from the East together with the position of the Baltic states pushed by the United States could result in "long-term and negative consequences for the current security system in the Euro-Atlantic."

The diplomat said these confrontational steps increase "military-political tensions near the Russian borders."

The consistent practice of fulfilling the decisions of the NATO summit in Wales in September on increasing military potential and military presence in Eastern Europe cannot but raise concerns, Lukashevich said.