Warsaw NATO summit a demonstration of unity and clear signal for Russia: experts
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
10.07.2016 07:55
The NATO summit in Warsaw was a demonstration of the unity of the alliance and a clear signal to Russia, experts have said, though some believe strengthening the eastern flank with four multinational battalions is a largely symbolic move.
NATO summit in Warsaw. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Dr Marcin Zaborowski from the Center for European Policy Analysis pointed out that for the first time since 1989, NATO assessed that Russia might be a threat against which the alliance should effectively protect itself.
But he said that the decisions made during the summit do not represent a fundamental change to the strategic balance in the region.
"It is disappointing that there will only be four battalions, and what is especially disappointing is that Poland managed to get only one battalion, which means the same number of forces as Estonia, which is several times smaller," said Zaborowski.
According to Gen. Mieczysław Bieniek, former deputy head of the NATO Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia, the summit confirmed NATO’s cohesion and unity, while presenting the alliance’s readiness for dialogue.
"Four thousand troops is not a great strength for four countries, but a very important fact is that those are multinational battalions, and that an attack on any of them is tantamount to an attack on all NATO forces," said Bieniek. (mol/pk)
Source: PAP