London. April 10th. INTERFAX - NATO is considering the possibility of permanently deploying a reinforced contingent on the eastern border of the alliance, Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview published on Sunday in The Sunday Telegraph.
"NATO is developing plans to deploy permanent full-scale armed forces on the border," he said.
"As part of a serious "redistribution", significant forces will replace the relatively small presence of the alliance on the eastern flank," the publication continues.
According to the publication, "the NATO command is currently developing options for redistribution."
"What we are seeing now is a new reality, so we asked our commanders to develop options for what we called the redistribution, the long-term adaptation of NATO. I expect that the NATO leadership will make decisions in this regard at the summit to be held in Madrid in June," the alliance Secretary General said.
"Stoltenberg noted that 40 thousand soldiers are already under the direct command of (NATO) in the eastern part of the alliance - this is about ten times more than a few months ago," writes The Sunday Telegraph.
Earlier, Stoltenberg repeatedly stated the need to strengthen the eastern flank of the alliance.
