MOSCOW, May 11 (RIA Novosti) - NATO has no political or military grounds to expand further into the former Soviet space, the secretary of Russia's Security Council said Thursday.
Igor Ivanov's comments came amid speculation that Georgia and Ukraine could quit the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose association of 12 former Soviet republics, to join the alliance.
"Regarding possible plans for further expansion of NATO, including entering the Commonwealth of Independent States space, it seems to me there are no reasons for such actions," Igor Ivanov, who was foreign minister from 1998 to 2004, told reporters.
"If such decisions are made, it will be for reasons other than ensuring the security of certain countries that have expressed a willingness to join NATO," he said, adding that countries' problems should be resolved through reforms and wider cooperation, rather than artificial expansion of the organization.
Ukraine has said it will start work on joining NATO in 2006, and Georgia has also declared its intention to join the alliance. Georgia's foreign minister said Sunday the two countries were in negotiations on possible withdrawal from the CIS.
Ivanov also said Russia was willing to expand interaction with NATO, but would adjust its military doctrine and foreign policy to meet current challenges.
"The situation in the world is changing and demands adjustments in Russia's foreign policy and military doctrine," he said. "We will discuss how to introduce these changes whenever they become necessary."
