NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer hailed Sarkozy's decision to return France to the fold. "Its full participation in all the civil and military decision-making and planning processes cannot but strengthen the alliance further," de Hoop Scheffer said in a statement. France is already NATO's fourth largest contributor of troops. France has long played a major role in NATO operations, fielding troops under allied command in Bosnia, Kosovo and now particularly in the dangerous Afghan campaign. Meanwhile, Sarkozy says France will maintain control over its nuclear arsenal. It would maintain its independent nuclear deterrent outside NATO command structures.

Former President Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO in 1966 because he felt that U.S. power in Europe needed to be limited as it was affecting France's independence. However, France never left the alliance itself. Defence Minister Herve Morin rejected claims France would now be forced to go along with the US on issues like the war with Iraq, which it vehemently opposed. Germany, he noted, has remained fully integrated in NATO, yet opposed the war. Renewing France's relations with NATO "will benefit the alliance, benefit Europe and benefit France", Mr. Morin said. "It will be done without calling into question the independence of France. Indeed, it would allow France to take a greater role in shaping military strategy," he argued, BBC reports.

President of France was right in his calculations of returning into NATO especially at this moment. France could not rejoin NATO under George Bush, risking the country's image like Great Britain that fully supported the American President and won the distrustful laurels of «Friend Tony». With Barack Obama in power, the situation is quite different. It would be much easier for President Sarkozy to find a common language with a person that is going to withdraw the troops from Iraq, meanwhile trying to somehow resolve the Afghan conflict. France's return is expected to be formalized with a letter to NATO before the alliance celebrates its 60th anniversary in April with a summit in the French city of Strasbourg.

The talks on NATO-CSTO cooperation have become more intense lately. In the words of CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha, "NATO and its Russian-dominated counterpart, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), should work together to form a new security system in Europe. Nowadays, the system of the balance of power in Europe is failing. The security architecture has to be re-made. I see no reason for a collision between the CSTO and NATO. We are ready to unite our efforts. Both organizations deal with problems of security, such as terrorism, drug smuggling and illegal migration. The CSTO has been pushing for the last four to five years for more cooperation with NATO on those issues. But, unfortunately, NATO is not ready to talk with us," CSTO Secretary General told journalists in Brussels. The interesting point in this connection is that France's decision is positively perceived by Moscow. According to Russian media, Nikolas Sarkozy notified the Kremlin about his intentions in due time .

In a word, everyone is content, and first of all - Sarkozy. What is coming next? France has always been trying to play the first fiddle in European orchestra and in NATO too. At the beginning of the current year French Ambassador to Armenia Serge Smessov stated that "If NATO is unable to cope with putting things in order, the joint European forces can do it." And though the diplomat specified neither format of forces, nor the country that would take the command, most likely Smessov suggested France….