Nato misquotes Mikhail Gorbachev
But when the matter did arise, in 1993, Gorbachev says: “I from the very start called it a great mistake. It was certainly a violation of the spirit of those declarations and assurances that we were given in 1990.” He goes on to say: “We now have a crisis in European relations. One of its causes, though not the only one, is the unwillingness of our western partners to take account of Russia’s point of view, legitimate interests and security. Verbally, they applauded Russia, especially during the Yeltsin years, but in deeds they took no account of it. I am thinking mainly of Nato’s enlargement, the plans to deploy a missile shield, and the west’s actions in areas important to Russia (Yugoslavia, Iraq, Georgia, Ukraine). They literally told us: it’s not your business. As a result an abscess built up, and burst.”
As you say, Ms Lungescu, Mr Gorbachev’s words “carry weight”. It’s bad enough having the Russian media distorting the truth, without Nato doing it too.