GROWING military co-operation between Australia, Japan and the US is worrying Moscow, as is work on US-Japanese missile defence co-operation, a top foreign ministry official said in an interview today.
"The strengthening of US-Australian-Japanese ties has got our attention.... Narrow alliances, especially tight military-political unions, are a worry,'' Deputy Foreign Ministry Alexander Losyukov told daily Vremya Novostei newspaper.
"We don't hide that concern - we talk about it with the Australians and the Americans,'' he said.
Mr Losyukov said Moscow was also worried over US-Japanese co-operation on missile defence.
"They explain this by what appear to be not entirely justified fears about North Korea. It's possible the (North) Koreans could cause some unpleasantness for the Japanese or... us. But they can't reach the Americans and they won't likely be able to for years.''
Moscow and Washington have also clashed over US missile defence plans in Central Europe, which Russia says would transform the nuclear balance of power. |