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Russian defence needs reorientation in view of terrorist threat - minister
Interfax

Moscow, 31 December: International terrorism, NATO expansion and the US withdrawal from the ABM Treaty are the key threats facing Russia, Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov told Interfax.

"The main threat to Russia's security is posed by terrorist groups active in the North Caucasus and Central Asia," Ivanov pointed out.

"To counter terrorist threats, we are maintaining close international ties within the antiterrorist coalition. We are ready for active ties with any country combating this evil," he said.

"The discussion of key military threats would be incomplete without mentioning the US invalidation of the 1972 ABM Treaty and the ongoing expansion of NATO," he said. Although "these steps do not pose an immediate threat to Russia's national security, they undermine the existing strategic stability system", he said.

"However, the new format of international relations in the NATO-Russia Council strengthens security and stability worldwide. While expanding these ties, Russia wants to obtain more information on the goals behind the alliance's enlargement and be actively involved in its political decisions," he said.

"At present, the Russian armed forces are able to resolve nuclear deterrence tasks in addition to localizing and neutralizing possible military conflicts in chief strategic trends. In the meantime, the threat of international terrorism requires a certain reorientation of defence efforts towards averting and countering it," he said.

"At the present and in the near future, the threat of direct military aggression against Russia is unlikely," he said.

Source: Interfax news agency, Moscow, in English 0849 gmt 31 Dec 02

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