Medvedev: naval base in Crimea is a guarantee against redivision in European security

17.05.2010 Russian naval base in Sevastopol is a guarantee against intentions to readjust European security, assures Russian president Dmitry Medvedev.

Russia and Ukraine agreed to extend deployment term of Black Sea Fleet (BSF) in Crimea for 25 years after 2017 when the previous agreement is expired; the new document provides possible further prolongation.

"Indeed, any vacuum causes temptations to fill it in. European history has a variety of such examples", said Medvedev to Ukrainian media agencies prior to his visit to Kiev in May 17-18.

"I'm not talking about reasons for such events like dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, since they're obvious. I don't want to estimate whether or not that was good for Europe either. Let historians do their job. I just want to state that even though those geopolitical changes did liberate Europe, there were plenty of negative consequences. Example, disintegration process in Yugoslavia had a very abnormal scenario. Quite apparently, that was a result of the old coalition's flame out", pointed out the president.

"In my opinion, therefore, maintaining our naval base in Crimea is at least preservation of an old-established environment and a guarantee against intentions to redivide anything in European security. By the way, at this point I mean not only an impact on Ukraine and the Russian Federation, I'm talking of the whole Europe", said Medvedev. That is why, Europe and NATO demonstrated a pretty polite reaction on extension of BSF deployment in Sevastopol, he added. "That was wise", noted the president.

Commenting the opposition's opinion that Russia paid too much for naval base in Sevastopol, Medvedev said that the opposition had somewhat different thoughts. Russian opposition does exist and want to make headlines, said the president.

"I think it's normal. Actually, Ukrainian opposition also addressed to president Yanukovich that everything was bad, and there were even talks about sale of national interests and so on. But criticizing government is a purpose of any opposition; the power, in its turn, should be ready for criticism, respond calmly, be solid in its decisions and hold the line", said the president.

He pointed out that overwhelming majority of Russians supports agreements on gas and the fleet. "Of course, there are different opinions. You know, I read attentively newspapers and web-publishing. When president Yanukovich and I signed those agreements, there were not only laudatory comments like well done, at last they've addressed a serious security issue, they helped Ukrainian partners reducing gas price and so forth. There were quite skeptical arguments, too. However, majority of comments were entirely positive, just because our people see those steps as the symbol of returning to cooperation in the widest sense; the symbol of future-directed confidence", said Medvedev.

He added that according to sociological information (opinion polls were held prior to achievement of agreements), even in that time about 60% Ukrainians supported an idea to prolong deployment term of Russian naval base in Sevastopol on certain economic conditions profitable for Ukraine. "Thus, I think Ukraine must be in velvet too", concluded the president.