Just as the whole world was staring at the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministers' interview after the meeting once again ignited the entire network. On November 13, local time, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview with reporters after attending the East Asia Summit that NATO is no longer the once pure "defensive organizational alliance". Now under the guidance of the United States, they (NATO) hope to control more voice in Asia-Pacific region and play their leading role.
Lavrov said that since when, NATO no longer often talks about "itself is a purely defensive organizational alliance", it has become full of aggressive and aggressive. Perhaps when the Soviet Union or Warsaw Treaty Organization was still there, it might indeed be a defensive group organization aimed at jointly fighting the Soviet military threat and maintaining the United States' European dominance. But now that the Soviet Union has accidentally disintegrated, Warsaw Pact has become history, but they have begun to relocate their defense lines many times.
NATO's eastward expansion process:
1999, NATO absorbed Polish , Hungary, and Czech , and the number of member states increased to 19, which was the first eastward expansion.
In 2004, NATO absorbed Slovak and Lithuanian . Romania and other seven countries increased to twenty-six, this is the second time.
In 2008, NATO once again absorbed Albania and Croatia , and the number of member states increased to 28, which was the third eastward expansion.
In 2017, NATO won over Merylshan , with twenty-nine members, and the fourth eastward expansion was successful.
In 2019, Macedonian joined NATO, and since then the 30th member states have returned to their posts, and the five eastward expansions have come to an end.
NATO once promised Russia and the world in the 1990s that it would not expand eastward, but it turned against its words five times. Now the sixth eastward expansion directly selects to attack Ukraine, which can be said to be bullying at the doorstep of Russia. Putin said this is a "shameless deception"! At the same time, this is also the root cause of the entire Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the United States is behind the eastward expansion! But now, the United States wants to reach out to the Asia-Pacific region before it has completely cleaned up Russia!
"For more than ten years, NATO has expanded its defense line eastward several times, and we have no way of knowing who they are trying to defend against!" Lavrov said, "And now, that 'defense line' is also moving closer to us (Asia-Pacific region)! What's more excessive is that at the Madrid summit this summer, NATO also claimed that it has the responsibility to bear global security! The security issues in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region have always been an integral part of NATO!"
The Russian foreign minister believes that for decades, the Asia-Pacific region has adhered to the initiative of the development of ASEAN and formed an equal, open and very inclusive security cooperation framework. However, not long ago, the United States proposed the so-called "ASEAN Strategic " concept, which is actually maliciously competing around the inclusive framework established by ASEAN! The United States and NATO are trying to control the region through militarization of the Asia-Pacific (specifically Southeast Asia) and curb the interest chains of China, Russia and other countries!
And one of the specific manifestations of NATO's militarization is the establishment of the US, UK and Australia Tripartite Security Initiative (AUKUS Military Alliance). It is worth noting that the United States' grand strategy is not open to everyone. It is now actively absorbing Japan, Canada, New Zealand and other countries. In addition, Lavrov also mentioned that NATO is now promoting the "Indo-Pacific Sea Situation Awareness Partnership". Generally speaking, such initiatives are extremely exclusive.
On November 14th local time, Russian Vice Foreign Minister Grushko said in an interview with reporters that NATO is to some extent an organization that cannot survive without an enemy. As the saying goes, "If there is no enemy, we will die. If that is the case, then create an image of the enemy and then move closer to the boundary of the potential enemy!" Today, NATO is expanding towards the new goal of the Asia-Pacific, and he proudly claims that this is also a stakeholder area of NATO. Isn't this a manifestation of raising fire and creating disputes?
With the emergence of the United States' "Indo-Pacific Strategy", NATO also followed its own boss's pace and re-strengthening its cooperative relations with Asia-Pacific allies: at the end of March this year, Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio was invited to visit NATO headquarters; in April, the foreign ministers of Australia, South Korea, Japan and the new four countries went to Brussels to attend NATO's foreign ministers' meeting; in May, they went to the NATO chiefs of staff meeting again; in June, leaders of the four countries went to Spain to attend NATO summit, which was only NATO member states could participate, which was a concealment!
Among them, South Korea's National Intelligence Agency joined the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center as a formal member as a meeting in May, and in early September this year, Japan also officially joined. It is not difficult to see that NATO wants to join forces with Australia, South Korea, Japan and other countries to establish a "Asia-Pacific version of NATO defense line" to curb the development of China, Russia and other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, and maintain the dominant position of the United States!
On the other hand, their big brother is not idle either, and has recently begun to make arrangements in East Asia. According to foreign media reports, US President Biden just attended the UN climate summit held in Egypt on November 11, and flew to Cambodia capital Phnom Penh to attend the ASEAN summit . From this move alone, it is not difficult to see the degree of importance the Biden administration attaches to the strategic goals of the East Asia region.
Some think tanks analyzed that Biden was actually very resistant to contact with Cambodia. Therefore, after meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen , in addition to thanking Cambodia for its support on the Ukraine issue, he began to express deep concern about China's use of its Yunyuan base, and also emphasized the importance of maintaining transparency and neutrality. In recent years, Cambodia and China have been friendly and close partners, so Biden wants to try to win and take the opportunity to talk to the entire ASEAN region.
But unfortunately, China and Cambodia have signed 18 bilateral agreements for many years, and China has spent 14 billion yuan to help Cambodia build roads. The relationship between the two countries is intimate. It is a fantasy that the United States wants to find the gap in it to disagree. So Biden had to settle for the second best and told the nine countries attending the meeting that the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy is inseparable from ASEAN. The United States will regard other countries as comprehensive strategic partners and negotiate cooperation on major regional issues, such as South China Sea or Myanmar issue.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov is right. The Asia-Pacific region belongs to all Asia-Pacific countries. If the Asia-Pacific becomes a battlefield between the United States and other major powers, then all countries will suffer losses and will not get any benefits!
