Czech foreign minister warns of growing Russian self-confidence

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said that along with international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and energy security the Atlantic Alliance also faces the challenge of an increasingly self-assured Russia which did not hesitate to use force to defend its own interests in the closest neighbouring countries. The foreign minister said that NATO enlargement should not end with the accession of Croatia and Albania later this year. The question of NATO’s policy towards Russia has become one of the most debated issues at the conference with some delegates arguing that Russia should be invited to cooperate more closely with the alliance and treated as a partner and ally.