Russian deputy hails NATO's decision to deny Ukraine, Georgia entry into Membership Action Plan

Russian deputy hails NATO's decision to deny Ukraine, Georgia entry into Membership Action Plan

December 03, 2008 at 10:50 | Interfax-Ukraine
Moscow, Dec. 3 (Interfax) - The State Duma's foreign affairs committee head Konstantin Kosachev has said he is satisfied with a decision taken by foreign ministers from NATO member-nations in Brussels on Tuesday not to offer Ukraine and Georgia the Alliance's Membership Action Plan (MAP).

"Neither Ukraine nor Georgia managed to secure the adoption of their desired decision. The U.S. was the only party that supported the aspirations of Ukraine and Georgia while the overwhelming majority of NATO member-countries, including the Alliance's founders - France, Germany, Italy and a number of other nations - did not allow these two countries to join [NATO's] MAP," Kosachev told journalists on Wednesday.

This decision backed by a majority of the Alliance's member-states was quite predictable, he added.

"Minds within NATO are getting sober again because Ukraine and Georgia, in the event of their membership in the Alliance, would not help solve most existing problems, but they would only aggravate them," the deputy said.

Kosachev said he is convinced that Washington's support of Ukraine and Georgia's NATO aspirations will not be able to considerably influence the opinion of most NATO member-countries in the future.