Germany Tells NATO, Russia To Dialogue Before Things Get 'Completely Out Of Control'

By Esther Tanquintic-Misa | December 3, 2014 7:58 PM EST

Germany called on both NATO and Russia on Tuesday to restart a dialogue before things get "completely out of control" that could risk further military misunderstandings.

(Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins / )

Portuguese Air Force fighter F-16 (R) and Canadian Air Force fighter CF-18 Hornet patrol over Baltics air space, from the Zokniai air base near Siauliai November 20, 2014. NATO pilots practised scrambling their jets on Wednesday, in preparation for potential further unauthorised Russian jets encountered on Baltic patrols. The flight drills were part of the NATO Baltic Air Policing Mission, a collective defence project which has been running for a decade. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

NATO has suspended cooperation withRussia since the Ukraine crisis escalated. In response, it boosted its military exercises on regions concerning its 28-member nations. In retaliation, Russia, seeing the military maneuverings as provocations, likewise did the same. Frequent Russian air and sea patrols around Europe have raised the risk of an aviation or marine disaster.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier hinted that NATO should take the first step to open a dialogue with Russia. "I think we are obliged to ... take care that a conflict does not get out of control and lead to a military escalation," he told reporters at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, noting the alliance should seek channels to verify the reports were true or not.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Tuesday that the ongoing military war posturings between NATO and Russia, triggered by the Crimea crisis, could grow into a larger conflict that isn't just focused on Russia and Ukraine anymore. "The probability of a military conflict is 70 percent," he told a forum hosted by daily newspaper Hospodarske Noviny. "I am talking about a large military conflict now; I am not talking about a Russia-Ukraine conflict."

Since the Crimea crisis erupted, Russian ambassadors met with NATO only twice. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, had repeatedly said the alliance doesn't seek confrontation with Russia and neither does it want a new Cold War. "But we cannot compromise on the principles on which the security and peace in Europe have been based for many decades," he told a news conference.

Dennis J D Sandole, a professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations for the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution of George Mason University, wrote in Financial Times that NATO should negotiate with President Vladimir Putin a Euro-Atlantic security structure that includes Russia, which could be a sure win potential solution to end the Ukraine crisis. He reminded that former Russian president Boris Yeltsin, in December 1991, had hinted that Russia's membership in NATO was "a long-term political aim." He said even Mr Putin seemed to approve of it. "The implication is, if Russia were inside the house, it would have a stake in preserving it, and not what it is doing at present: destabilising it."

Alexander Grushko, Russia's Ambassador to NATO, cited by TASS, said the alliance knows that increasing military activity by showing force "will lead to serious risks of military incidents." He blasted NATO for creating a "serious change for the worse in the regional and all-European dimension."

NATO announced it will create a rapid response force composed of 5,000 to 7,000 personnel that can be deployed in response to any crises within several days. "NATO is heating up tensions in those regions where there has been no objective need in overarmament. The Baltic region has been always the calmest one," he said.

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