The finish of the Cold War changed dangers the U.S. is facing. A mounting international terrorist threat has come into the foreground. With all that, the U.S. intends to amend the geography of its overseas military bases. It has duly informed Russia about the blueprints in advance. The plans focus on bringing a part of overseas forces and arsenals back to the United States, and a revision of the present base network to bring U.S. contingents closer to the sources of tentative danger.
Whatever related plans are to fully comply with U.S. pledges to limit its armed forces and armaments-in particular, on the CFE, or Conventional Forces in Europe treaty, the Russia-NATO Founding Act, and Russia-NATO Council statements. Russia is calling U.S. attention, as before, to that vital point.
As for bases established in Central Asia with the anti-terror operation in Afghanistan, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expects the U.S. to wind them up as the operation approaches its end.
The Russian opinion of U.S. plans will depend on further practical arrangements and on whether they will endanger Russian interests, and to what an extent, if any, says the statement.
