Alwaght-"In the nuclear age, extra armies do not provide any additional
security. But, they surely can play a
provocative role," said State Duma’s First Deputy Chairman of the United
Russia Faction Frants Klintsevich in a press briefing on Sunday, as Press TV
reported.
He expressed
regret that such a proposal had already received some support.
The reaction by
the Russian lawmaker came after President of the European Commission (EC)
Jean-Claude Juncker called on Sunday for the creation of a European Union army
during an interview with the German weekly Welt am Zontag.
Juncker further
stated that the formation of European armed forces would signal to Moscow the
28-nation bloc is “serious about upholding the values of the European Union.”
The Russian
lawmaker, however, insisted that the idea of establishing a European army had
never occurred to anyone even in the years of intense confrontation between
NATO and the Warsaw Treaty Organization.
"One should presume that a European army is seen as an addendum to
NATO. And in this kind of situation Western politicians are not shy to accuse
Russia of some aggressiveness," Klintsevich emphasized as quoted in the
report.
"These days, when the Warsaw Treaty is long gone, for some reason
there has developed a need for that," he noted.
Welt am Zontag
also reported that Juncker has won the backing in the German legislature,
including from chairperson of Germany’s foreign affairs committee Norbert
Rottgen who said it is time to put such a proposal into action.
The proposals
to extend EU’s military capabilities come amid tensions between European
countries and the US over the Ukrainian crisis.
The Western governments accuse Russia of destabilizing Ukraine, an
allegation that Moscow has repeatedly denied.
Meanwhile, NATO
plans to expand its military presence in Eastern Europe amid the crisis in
Ukraine and has held numerous war games over the past year. In 2014, NATO forces held some 200 military
exercises, with the alliance’s General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg having
promised that such drills would continue.
Moscow has
repeatedly condemned NATO’s exercises and military buildup toward its borders.
