"Komsomolskaya Pravda": "MOSCOW TO POSTPONE ISSUING LOAN FOR KIEV"
The Russian Security Council has drafted a new national security strategy and submitted it to the President for consideration.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday chaired a Security Council meeting convened to discuss Russia's national security strategy until 2020. The document was presented by Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.
Russia's previous national security concept was adopted back in 1997. It has become rather outdated since then. Mr Medvedev has said that the country is now confronted with new challenges, therefore it is necessary to set new priorities. Their range is rather wide and includes defence, state and public security, higher standards of living, economic growth, science, education, culture and the environment. As regards foreign policy, Mr Patrushev said that "Russia would pursue a rational and pragmatic foreign policy, without a costly confrontation and a new arms race."
In addition, Mr Patrushev noted with satisfaction that "the text of the document contains no foreign words or phrases" but admitted that foreign experience had been "taken into consideration." The national security strategy is supplemented with a document on strategic planning. This is a new "vertical of strategic planning under the supervision of the head of state," President Medvedev explained.
The President gave special attention to the country's economic security as part of national security. An example in this regard was not difficult to find. Mr Medvedev recalled the EU-Ukraine declaration signed in Brussels on plans to modernise and jointly use the Ukrainian gas pipelines (see the article "Europe seeks to push Russia away from the pipe" for more details). In essence, this document deprives Gazprom of its advantages in gas supplies via Ukraine. Naturally enough, Moscow will not profit from this deal. As a result, Mr Medvedev proposed directly at the Security Council meeting that Prime Minister Vladimir Putin should postpone the planned consultations with Ukraine (including those on the issuance of a $5 billion loan to Ukraine). Mr Putin was expected to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart Yulia Tymoshenko next week.
President Medvedev asked Mr Putin for his opinion on the matter; the Prime Minister duly agreed with his proposal. Mr Putin said that the EU-Ukraine agreement had given rise to certain questions. "The key factor in plans to develop Ukraine's gas transportation system is the volume of gas supplies. It is clear that gas will come from no other place but Russia, but no one has discussed this issue with us," the Prime Minister said.
Apart from the national security strategy (the Security Council decided to finalise it within a month), three more strategic documents will be submitted to the President for approval this year: the Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation, the Doctrine of Food Security, and the Concept of National and State Policy.
Yelena Krivyakina
