Russia pulls out of NATO meeting over Georgia

Original: Russia pulls out of NATO meeting over Georgia


Russia will pull out of a meeting with senior NATO military officials to protest what its envoy described Monday as "provocative war games" planned by the alliance in Georgia. "If there will be no reaction (to a Russian complaint about the exercises) we will take certain measures. I can reveal one of them now: the meeting of the commanders of the general staffs of Russia and NATO, planned for May 7, will not take place,"  the envoy, Dmitry Rogozin, said in an interview with Vesti-24 television, quoted by the Interfax news agency. Read  AFP full report.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan refused to take part in NATO-organized war games in Georgia in a show of support for Russia.  "No, we will not take part," Defense Minister Danial rel="nofollow" name="cutid1">source: AFP
Rogozin blasted the exercises as "provocative" but did not say whether Moscow would scuttle a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council -- the highest-level body linking Russia and the alliance -- expected to take place in May or June.

Russia and Georgia have been at loggerheads since fighting a brief war in August, and Moscow has been extremely wary of any cooperation between NATO and the pro-Western government in Tbilisi.

"From Russia's point of view, and from Georgia's point of view, and from the viewpoint of world affairs, such war games carry a clearly provocative character," Rogozin said.

Washington described Russia's threatened move as unfortunate.

"If it's true, it's unfortunate," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters, adding: "These exercises were long planned."

Wood said he did not have confirmation of any Russian decision.

The exercises, which have be v has called the exercises a "da