Moscow, 29 December: NATO is not yet ready for cooperation with Russia in relation to a number of issues, above all missile defence, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
"Unfortunately, on a number of fundamental issues, concerning our countries' intrinsic security interests, the partners are not yet ready for serious cooperation," he wrote in an article published on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The minister acknowledged that NATO is a factor that in many ways determines security in the Euro-Atlantic region, including areas near Russia's borders.
"It is in Russia's interests to give the interaction with NATO a stable, predictable character," he said.
Speaking about disagreements, he singled out missile defence. "We are ready for a dialogue in which legitimate interests of all the parties are taken into account. But we need clear guarantees that the missile defence means that are being deployed will not be working against Russia's strategic potential," said Lavrov.
"Such guarantees must be based on objective criteria enabling one to asses the compliance of the missile defence system that is being built by NATO with the stated aims - countering limited missile challenges originating outside Europe. Simple assurances that Russia has nothing to worry about will not suit us," he said.
The foreign minister noted that if Russia's concerns are not taken into account, it will take appropriate measures, "proceeding from the developments at each stage of the implementation of the American phased adaptive approach to missile defence".
"Our main interest is to preserve strategic stability at a time of the creation of a missile defence system. We think that there still is time to find a mutually acceptable solution," writes Lavrov.
Moscow, 29 December: NATO is not yet ready for cooperation with Russia in relation to a number of issues, above all missile defence, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
"Unfortunately, on a number of fundamental issues, concerning our countries' intrinsic security interests, the partners are not yet ready for serious cooperation," he wrote in an article published on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The minister acknowledged that NATO is a factor that in many ways determines security in the Euro-Atlantic region, including areas near Russia's borders.
"It is in Russia's interests to give the interaction with NATO a stable, predictable character," he said.
Speaking about disagreements, he singled out missile defence. "We are ready for a dialogue in which legitimate interests of all the parties are taken into account. But we need clear guarantees that the missile defence means that are being deployed will not be working against Russia's strategic potential," said Lavrov.
"Such guarantees must be based on objective criteria enabling one to asses the compliance of the missile defence system that is being built by NATO with the stated aims - countering limited missile challenges originating outside Europe. Simple assurances that Russia has nothing to worry about will not suit us," he said.
The foreign minister noted that if Russia's concerns are not taken into account, it will take appropriate measures, "proceeding from the developments at each stage of the implementation of the American phased adaptive approach to missile defence".
"Our main interest is to preserve strategic stability at a time of the creation of a missile defence system. We think that there still is time to find a mutually acceptable solution," writes Lavrov.