The Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov in interview with Spiegel:"---
Ivanov: We supported the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) operation from the very beginning. Not with our own soldiers, of course. That would be like the Americans marching back into Vietnam with their own troops today. But we have provided the government of President Hamid Karzai with $200 million in weapons and equipment so far. Many Russian citizens were surprised that we allowed the German armed forces -- and the French -- free passage through our country to Afghanistan. But, of course, I cannot give the German military any advice on what it should or should not do in Afghanistan.
SPIEGEL: If NATO's mission fails it will also affect Russia.
Ivanov: We are concerned about this, of course. The current situation in Afghanistan is indeed very reminiscent of the late 1980s when the Soviet Union was involved there. It is painful to talk about it, but even with its 110,000 elite soldiers, the Soviet Union never managed to gain control over the entire Afghan territory. I am firmly convinced that the security situation will never improve until you are able to very effectively monitor the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
SPIEGEL: That seems close to impossible.
Ivanov: It's also difficult because Pakistan is a US ally. And because, at the same time, it is not an entirely democratic state, and is a state that possesses weapons of mass destruction and is even involved in proliferation -- to North Korea, for example. ---"
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Why should Finland join NATO when NATO is fighting even against itself? Why to fight against oneself?
