MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. NATO’s new priority is creation of the so-called "military Schengen" area  in Europe aimed at speeding up troops’ deployment near Russia’s borders, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Col. Gen. Alexander Fomin told Krasnaya Zvezda.

"The new priority of NATO’s military-political leadership is improving the logistic and transport infrastructure inside Europe and the creation of the so-called "military Schengen."

Its goal is to fast-track to the maximum extent the troops’ deployment towards Russia’s borders," Fomin said in an interview with the Russian Defense Ministry’s official newspaper.

According to the deputy minister, in various parts of Europe the arsenals of weapons, ammunition and food supplies are being created for a speedy deployment of an additional force grouping. Eight coordination centers for deploying the contingents have been set up in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.