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| Europe |
| Norway: Russian ambassador lashes out at media and USA |
| 2008-08-26 |
| Russia's ambassador to Norway was supposed to talk about cultural bridge-building in Stavanger on Tuesday, but used the occasion to instead warn the media and the USA against creating a new "Cold War." "I know many well-educated Norwegians who now use most of their energy to warn against all the dangers coming out of Russia," complained Ambassador Sergej Andrejev at a meeting in Stavanger tied to the Offshore Northern Seas expo now underway. "all the dangers"? Does someone have a list? Andrejev especially criticized the picture drawn of Russia in both Norwegian and other western media, as a country lacking freedom of expression, with an authoritarian government that itself is turning back to a Cold War mentality. That's a false picture, he claimed, adding that no one should feel threatened by Russia. "While Russia is building up its defenses, it's not directed against Norway or other western countries, and therefore there's nothing to fear," he said, according to newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad's account of Andrejev's remarks. "No, no, no ... please ignore the Tu-22M maritime patrol flights off your coast." He repeated the official Russian view of recent hostilities in Georgia, claiming that Georgia launched an attack in South Ossetia and Russia felt obliged to defend Russian citizens and Russia's interests in the province. He also blasted all the US' wartime aggression from Vietnam to Iraq, and warned against any attack on Iran. "All countries must be allowed to develop at their own tempo, not be forced into anything," he said. Sheesh Russia, he said, has learned from the mistakes made during the time of the Soviet Union and won't veer away from democracy. "But we will decide ourselves how things shall develop and how Russia will solve its own problems, without interference from outside We're going to need more F-22s Norway has found itself in a bind of late, caught between its loyalties as a member of NATO and its interests in staying on good terms with Russia. Relations between NATO and Russia are strained at present. NATO's expansion, Russia's apparent need to assert itself, and developments from the conflict in Georgia to the US' controversial missile shield have created a new political situation, according to Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Norway is left with "a foot, or should I say toes, in all camps, dictated by a level-headed understanding of our interests," Støre told ministry employees this week. |
| Posted by:mrp |
| #1 Shorter Russian ambassador: We aren't going to stop our aggression so if you want to avoid a cold war then just lay back and think of England. |
| Posted by: Scott R 2008-08-26 18:41 |