State Duma to adopt statement on NATO enlargement Wednesday?

The State Duma (parliament's lower house) will issue a statement on NATO enlargement on Wednesday, Duma First Vice-Speaker Lyubov Sliska told reporters.

The statement will read that NATO's eastward enlargement affects Russia's national security interests, said Ms Sliska.

Originally, the Duma planned to adopt the statement on Friday, said Ms Sliska. "However, MPs spoke out in favor of issuing a relative statement in advance so that Russian delegates could hand it over to a Russia-NATO Council meeting, due in Brussels on April 2," said Ms Sliska.

The Duma first vice-speaker said that would be a rather harsh statement. "Our position is that NATO's eastward enlargement affects Russia's national security interests," she said.

In comments on the US president's statement that the alliance's enlargement is not targeted against Russia, but against terrorism, Ms Sliska said: "The Berlin wall should be moved in a different direction, rather than towards Russia's borders."