A new European Security Draft Agreement has been publicized on the Russian President’s homepage. The Agreement has the goal to create in Euro – Atlantic area a joint space of military and political security thereby eliminating the division of the cold war period. The European Security Agreement is aimed at setting up legal obligations according to which none of the countries or international organizations would have a possibility of strengthening their security at the expense of the other countries or international organizations. The Draft Agreement has reportedly been submitted for consideration to the leadership of the involved countries, NATO, EU, OSCE, CIS and Collective Security Organization.

Russian President’s homepage, November 29

http://news.kremlin.ru/news/6152

Nearly half a year has passed since the first announcement made by Dmitry Medvedev proposing initiative of creation of a new European security architecture. Over this period, Russia representatives have offered just overall principles to be used as the basis for the new European security. Since the leaders of the US and European states were not ready to fill in Russia’s place the gap with concrete elements, Russia has offered its own Draft Agreement.

Russia’s Draft Agreement is, in fact, similar to the North Atlantic Treaty, for example, its Article 7 is nearly the same as the North Atlantic Treaty’s Article 5, stipulating that a military attack on one of the Agreement member countries is considered an attack on them all. Russia’s Draft Agreement has much more references to international documents regulating peaceful resolving of disagreements, calling to peaceful coexistence and guaranteeing security, and a significant role is allocated to the UN Security Council.

Several points in the Draft Agreement are of interest, first of all, its preamble, mentioning that the Agreement participants “wish to create effective cooperation mechanisms to be activated with the aim to resolve issues or differences of positions, as well as respond to challenges and threats in security sphere”. Does this chapter in the preamble propose establishing of a permanent organization or institution? A longer period of time is necessary for setting up of ad hoc crisis management structure. Also mentioning in the Draft Agreement of a depositary indicates that creation of a permanent institution for coordination of the Agreement implementation is proposed. However, such institution may function, of course, in the form of just a secretariat fulfilling the functions of ensuring document circulation and organization of the member countries representatives’ meetings. Decisions would be made within conferences according to the principle of consensus.

The fact is significant that, although the Agreement would have to reflect the post-cold war reality, it is focused on the classical or narrow understanding of security – military security, and nearly no attention is paid to the other aspects of security, for example, security of individuals. Such narrow understanding of security is obviously favourable just for Russia which would hardly make efforts for designing of an Agreement allowing criticism to itself on the other countries’ part, for example, for violation of human rights.

The proposal has been made, and the ball is now on the Western countries’ side where the Russia’s offer is going to become one of the topics of interstate discussions.