FEATURES OF THE MILITARY-POLITICAL INTERACTION OF THE USSR AND YUGOSLAVIA IN CONNECTION WITH THE PREPARATION FOR THE MEETING ON SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE (1973–1975)

The article examines the problems of the Soviet-Yugoslav military-political interaction on security and cooperation in Europe. The positions and contradictions between the Soviet and Yugoslav parties on issues of cooperation and security in Europe are analyzed. The essence of Belgrade’s position on this issue was in interpreting particularly sensitive issues for it: equal responsibility of countries united in opposing military-political blocs for security in Europe, the need to respect the interests of countries outside these blocs, as well as the presence of other powers’ armed forces near the borders of these countries. Contradictions between Moscow and Belgrade have emerged on the issues of cooperation and security in Europe. Moscow insisted on mainstreaming security problems in the Central Europe, as a possible theater of military operations between NATO and the Warsaw Pact bloc in the future. Yugoslavia, proceeding from its national and military-political interests, advocated the inclusion of security problems in the Southern Europe and the Mediterranean in the agenda of the conference. Another issue on which there was a discrepancy in the views of the Soviet and Yugoslav leadership was understanding the thesis of peaceful coexistence of states and the scope of its application to various subjects of international relations. Moscow extended this concept to the nature of relations between the West and the East, and the Yugoslavs equated this provision in relation to the right of their way of building socialism in the country, as well as guarantees of national sovereignty in case of attempts to interfere from outside in order to adjust the principles of state and social development of their state. The desire of Yugoslavia on the eve of the European conference to plot a vector in its conduct in a favorable aspect for it worried Moscow and focused on careful study and timely response to Belgrade’s initiatives. In the context of the problem of Soviet-Yugoslav cooperation on security issues and cooperation in Europe, the urgent need of Belgrade for Moscow’s help in resolving the crisis in the public and political life of the country is shown as well.