Russia's neighbors should not take responsibility, trying to change their relations with Moscow, because it is the Kremlin's actions determine the existing tension, says a well-known political expert, Senior Fellow, Jamestown Foundation Vladimir Socor.
The analyst was critical about the statement made by NATO's General Secretary that Russia poses no threat to the Baltic countries.
According to Vladimir Socor, Anders Fogh Rasmussen should have been more accurate, and mention the "potential threat".
"I think that the small neighbors of Russia should not take responsibility, trying to improve relations with Russia, because these relations are strained because of Russia itself. Any country - small or big, the United States or the Baltic states - will make a mistake, if they are to deal with Russia as if the improvement of relations depends on them", - said Vladimir Socor in an interview.
According to him, also is wrong to try to improve relations with Russia, refusing to give a fair assessment of the heritage of the Soviet Union, including the crimes of Stalinism, which the Kremlin is trying to rehabilitate.
"Both regimes were totalitarian and belong to the same category", - noted political scientist.
The expert confirmed that Russia's actions in the Baltic countries do not allow to hope that Moscow itself wants to improve the relations.
"First and foremost, we need a change in the behavior of Russia. For example, Russia should stop - but I doubt it will happen - to carry out the dirty and corrupt practices in business, to buy media in Lithuania, use relations with the oligarchs in the three Baltic countries, influence the situation from the inside, she should stop pretending that there was no occupation, should not considered NATO as an enemy "- Vladimir Socor demanded of Russia.
Department of Monitoring,
Kavkaz Center
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