German Lawmaker Says NATO Should Mull Bringing Russia to Alliance to Build New Security

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2020) German lawmaker Christian Schmidt of the center-right Christian Social Union (CSU), believes that the issue of Russia's accession to NATO should be on the agenda again, as it was in the 1990s when such a scenario was considered, to build a new system of global security.

Schmidt was the minister of food and agriculture from 2014-2018 and the minister of transport and digital infrastructure from 2017-2018.

"I have been holding various political posts for 30 years. In my opinion and if I am not mistaken, former Moscow mayor, Yury Luzkhov even did not rule out Russia's entry into NATO. This was seriously discussed. Then the Russia-NATO Founding Act was signed. All this you need to discuss again," Schmidt said at the VI Youth Forum The Potsdam Meetings.

According to the German politician, the entire security architecture that had been created since 1975 in Europe was ruined.

"Now we need to discuss together how we can build a new security architecture ... we still need mechanisms for disarmament, arms control and the balance of armed forces. I think that such a discussion will benefit Europe. Europe should play an important role in it," he concluded.

The remarks come in light of the US moves to pull out and nullify a whole slew of foundational arms control and defensive treatises that keep military superpowers at bay. The New START treaty, the only remaining arms control agreement between Moscow and Washington, is set to expire in February 2021.