New security agreement in Europe which envisages involving Russia as well must not be targeted against NATO, RIA Novosti quoted Russian President Dmitry Medvedev as saying.
"If there is Helsinki Act on Security and Cooperation, a new document must appear not against NATO, but to ensure security in Europe," Medvedev told in his interview with Saturday News program to be aired on May 16.
The President said earlier there was a set of instruments in Europe to ensure security. They were created in 1970s and played their role.
"Unfortunately, the security in Europe is not growing, on the contrary, security in Europe, as we are explained, is provided primarily through the expansion of a military and political bloc. NATO is being enlarged and security is divided into fragments and parts. I think it should not suit anybody whatever our negotiating partners say there. And this requires new approaches," the Russian president said.
"We have a whole range of public entities in Europe and there is the North-Atlantic Alliance. But we do not have a universal ground where all issues can be examined. The idea of a treaty of European security was linked with this," Medvedev said.
He said European security includes "a set of components, a set of countries."
"They are European governments, the U.S., Canada and this is participation of all European unions such as NATO, the European Union, CIS and CSTO. If we create such matrix of relations, it will be effective. It is better than to enlarge NATO to all directions," the Russian president said.
He said "we are not satisfied with such approaches [NATO's enlargement] and we will react to it."
"Which one is better - to create new security entity or hold military exercise near the places where military operations were conducted less than a year ago? We simply want new level of security for our country and our people given the experience of the 20th century," Medvedev added.
President also answered a number of question regarding ties with the European Union and explained why the coming Russia-EU summit will be held in Khabarovsk.
"Last year, when we met with our colleagues in the European Union, it was my suggestion that they go to see how Russia is seen not only in European part or in the Urals, Siberia, but also in the Far East. Given that we are considering all of these places as the European area in the broadest sense, such idea appeared and our European colleagues agreed to it," Medvedev said."Probably, it will be interesting to them see how our Far East looks like, but most importantly, it gives them an opportunity to better feel Russia and then our relations have become such a fundamental, more clear, more understandable. The question of understanding always is in our foreign policy," he added.