On April 22, The Moscow Times published an article by NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen titled “NATO’s Common European Roof” in which he proposed expanding the alliance’s missile defense system to include not only all of the member states, but Russia as well. Rasmussen states that the architecture of such a common missile defense “roof” should be created, maintained and used jointly and that its area of operation would stretch fr om Vancouver to Vladivostok.
At the same time, he acknowledged that there are certain “practical challenges” in developing a joint missile system and mentioned three main hurdles: the linking of sensitive technologies to create a joint missile defense system, ensuring its interoperability and the exchange of intelligence.
Responding to the question of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation on April 26 about the possibility of supporting Rasmussen’s proposal, President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia could only consider a “serious proposal.”
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