Russia not to allow NATO permanent base on its territory

Russia will not allow NATO to set up a permanent trans-shipping terminal on its territory, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Thursday. Russia's official news agency reported that Moscow would only approve temporal facilities to be created to stock non-military consignments that belong to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. All shipments will be of entirely commercial nature, Grushko said. "If the companies (that could provide services to NATO) agree, (the central Russian city of) Ulyanovsk could be used. If not, the transfers will be conducted by air or by rail also using the so-called central and southern routs," Grushko said. NATO in May 2011 asked Russia to consider the possibility of ground, rail and air transits for the equipments of the ISAF via the Russian territory. Moscow proposed that the Vostochny airport in Ulyanovsk in central Russia could be used as a stopover site for the international troops, but no NATO personnel would be allowed to be deployed there. The US and NATO forces are scheduled to hand over security responsibility to the Afghan forces and end combat mission by 2014.