Azerbaijan, Baku, April 23 / Trend /
Russia does not consider the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a source of threat, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in his interview with BBC Russian Service.
"For us, NATO is one of unbiased key factors which determine state of security in the Euro-Atlantic region," the minister said. When the NATO countries have set-backs of confrontation logic of "cold war" period and bribe in the bloc policy, some problems appears, he said. "Such cases do exist. We are concerned with the alliance's striving for enlargement which is not explainable from all-European security viewpoint, violation of international law and the UN Security Council's role regarding criterion of involving its force, while claiming for global role, NATO countries' avoiding to ratify the adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, attempt to rehabilitate military reckless scheme of M.Saakashvili's regime against South Ossetia and plans on its re-armament," Lavrov said.
The Russian foreign minister said Russia's partners on the Russia-NATO Council must understand that inadequate approach to the Russian interests impartially constricts an area for interaction.
"We directly and openly speak about our anxiety. We inform our NATO partners that the steps to expand the alliance seriously complicates our interaction and of course, does not strengthen regional and global security, at all, Lavrov said.
The minister said Russia cannot ignore approach of the NATO countries' military infrastructure to our borders: expanding the bloc is followed by introducing air patrol, upgrading aerodromes, as well as forming bases in the new member-countries. "We will take all of these, of course, into account in foreign political and military planning from point of view to ensure Russia's national security," the minister said.
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