Russian President Vladimir Putin has called NATO as an atavism of the Cold War, saying that it is difficult to understand why an organization such as "NATO should be existing today".
"Why it (NATO) still exists in modern times, is just not clear. It is to a significant extent a throwback to the times of the Cold War…," DPA quoted the Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying at a Russian-leased base in Tajikistan on Friday.
"…I have always believed that NATO is a Cold War atavism. It was set up at a time, when there was a bipolar system in international relations. Today, that situation has changed, therefore, it is hard to justify …why …NATO should be existing today,” the president added.
According to Putin, a NATO missile system which is to be based near Russian borders can be regarded as a real threat for Russia's security.
However, Washington holds that the missile system is needed to defend against possible missile strikes by Iran.
"Talk is one thing, but the presence of strike weapons or missile interceptor systems near our borders is another matter. This creates a real threat to our territory. There is no question that, in that case, we would follow defense policies to arrest such threats," Putin argued.
Russia and NATO have failed to achieve any agreement over the anti-missile program since they decided to develop a joint European missile system in November 2010.
Moscow has repeatedly objected to the deployment of the missile facilities near its borders, saying the Russian capital is the main reason for the US-led move, not possible missile strikes by Iran.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/10/05/265145/russian-pres-calls-nato-relic-of-cold-war/
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