NATO should respect 'indivisible' security agreements: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called on the NATO military alliance to respect agreements on "indivisible security," criticizing the US-led pact's growing military presence on the Russian borders.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his visiting Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias in Moscow on Wednesday, Lavrov said it was "unacceptable" for NATO to draw new dividing lines under the pretext of boosting security.
"We will continue to call on our NATO counterparts to respect all the agreements made at the political level, particularly at the highest level, which declare drawing new dividing lines to be unacceptable and emphasize the need to ensure indivisible security so that no one has to strengthen their security by damaging the security of others," Lavrov added.
He said they had discussed " the growing military activities of the US and NATO near Russia’s borders" with his Greek counterpart and they both agreed that Russia and the European Union (EU) must address concerns in this regard.
"We have informed our Greek colleagues about our assessments of current military and political developments on our continent, focusing on the growing military activities of the US and NATO near Russia’s borders," the Russian top diplomat pointed out.
NATO member states, largely made up of Western European countries, have significantly increased their military activities near Russia’s western borders in recent years.
Read More:
Russia, realizing that security threat under its nose, has held several military drills to maintain preparedness, and the NATO countries have then pointed to those drills as signs that Russia has aggressive intentions.
NATO severed ties with Russia and subsequently increased its military presence in the Baltic Region following the 2014 reintegration of the Crimean Peninsula to Russia in a referendum.
The EU and the US say the military buildup is necessary to stop what they refer to as the "Russian aggression." Russia has promised to respond to any threats in kind.
Lavrov and Kotzias also discussed regional conflicts and called for a resolution of the Cyprus issue and other similar conflicts in the Western Balkans region.
Russia launches 'ICBM' for first time against Ukraine: Kiev
Russia lowers nuclear weapons threshold after US allows Ukraine to use missiles
Russia says Biden 'fueling' tensions by permitting Ukraine missile strikes
Iran to launch ‘new, advanced’ centrifuges in response to IAEA resolution: AEOI
Yemen fires hypersonic missile at Israeli airbase
VIDEO | New Delhi chokes under toxic smog as air quality remains at hazardous levels
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
VIDEO | ICC's arrest warrant for Netanyahu to worry Western politicians: Former British diplomat
Iranians protest against Israel after Netanyahu ICC warrant
Germany undecided on complying with ICC arrest warrants for Israeli war criminals
VIDEO | Former FBI agent criticizes US Congress for 'outright corruption'
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
