Robertson Suggests New Perception Of NATO Enlargement

NATO enlargement has to be seen in a different light now, NATO Secretary General, Lord George Robertson of Port Ellen, said in a speech at the Diplomatic Academy in Moscow on Thursday. He had flown into town for a visit. Robertson confirmed that NATO would indeed "issue invitations to some new members next year". But he said, "this needs to be seen in the broader context of the integration processes underway in the Euro-Atlantic community and beyond. "All of these processes will serve Russia's national interests in the long term," he continued. "Why? Because they will contribute to the growing togetherness of Europe." "And because they will help spread stability and reconcile nations," Robertson argued.