NUCLEAR POWER IN BELARUS AND WORLDWIDE
MOSCOW, 17 May (BelTA) - NATO's reckless expansion not only to the east, but also to the north and other geographical directions undermines the very prospect of further normal dialogue about European security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference after the talks with Belarusian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Aleinik in Moscow on 17 May, BelTA has learned.
He noted that NATO absorbs almost all neutral states, which undermines the possibility of a constructive policy on the continent. "When and if the West comes to its senses and when and if the West realizes that it will not be able to stop the historically objective process of the formation of a multipolar world, then we will start a dialogue that will not be limited only to Europe. The dialogue on fair and equal global security is unavoidable," Sergey Lavrov said.
The minister recalled the difficulties with which the main principles of the OSCE were put together. Equal and indivisible security has become one of the main agreements. The documents stated that no country has the right to strengthen its security at the expense of the security of others and to claim dominance in the region.
"All this was trampled on by our Western colleagues as they set on a course towards the reckless expansion of NATO. They rejected all our attempts to translate these lofty ideas, which were supported by the leaders of the Western world, into practical deeds (since the late 2010s we urged NATO to codify these principles and assume legal obligations not to strengthen their security at the expense of others). They said that legal security guarantees were possible only in NATO," Sergey Lavrov said.
"The last time we made an attempt to put into practice these pretentious promises about indivisibility of security at the end of 2021, when, on the instruction of President Putin, we handed over to both the United States and NATO members the draft treaties on security of all states in Europe without exception. Unfortunately, you know what the result of this was. The arrogance of NATO members, who said that no one can dictate to them what to do, has caused the deepest security crisis," the minister added.
