MOSCOW, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- NATO has dashed Ukrainian and Georgian hopes of joining the alliance soon, telling them membership was not feasible until they solved domestic crises.
NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Jean Fournet said in Moscow during an interview with Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper that membership in the alliance is not solely based on geography or the national desire, but rather on a long-term process which requires applicant nations to comply with the principles and rules of the alliance.
Fournet said, "The alliance speaks in favor of an open door policy. We accept into our number democratic countries, which are ready to follow the NATO charter."
In response to a question about how Moscow should perceive NATO's expansion to its borders and its patrols along its frontiers Fournet replied, "Russia, in turn, patrols the airspace on its boundaries. Patrolling the airspace should not be considered as threat. This is a completely normal phenomenon, important for guaranteeing safety. Certainly there are some divergences in the positions of Russia and NATO. But we have also many points of contact."
