Sergey Lavrov
MINSK, 28 October (BelTA) – Western countries make no secret that they are preparing for a new major European war, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said at the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, BelTA has learned.
“It is not the fault of Russia and our allies that international arms control agreements have been undermined and ultimately buried in recent years. NATO expansion does not stop for a minute, contrary to the assurances given to Soviet leaders not to move an inch to the east. Moreover, these actions violate the high-level OSCE commitments against enhancing one’s security at others’ expense and pursuing regional or global dominance. The planned and provoked conflict in Ukraine has led to the final collapse of the Euro-Atlantic security model, which relied on NATO and the OSCE. In fact, the European Union has turned into a Euro-Atlantic component of this setup probably in the last eight years or so,” Sergey Lavrov said.
He pointed out that there is a narrative in Europe today about the need to think about a new European security system. “But they immediately add that it should not provide for the participation of Belarus and Russia. The initiative of the French president on the so-called European Political Community is a case in point. They deliberately did not invite Russia and Belarus to join it, thus creating something like a European part of the OSCE. It is clear that they do not hide the preparations they are making to the west of the Union State of Belarus and Russia for a new major European war and are creating coalitions for this purpose,” the Russian foreign minister emphasized.
For instance, in July, France and England agreed to coordinate their nuclear forces and created a kind of Entente to develop missile systems. “The Germans signed an agreement with the British, essentially on military cooperation, and now, just the other day, London called to add a nuclear component to this partnership. The militarization of European countries is gaining momentum, with boosted military-industrial funding, large-scale drills, and enhanced logistics for eastern troop deployments using infrastructure of those countries that are not members of NATO,” Sergey Lavrov noted.
According to the minister, the plans to intensify NATO activities in the Arctic cannot but cause concern, as the majority of sensible countries would like to see it as a territory of peace and cooperation.
He also added that it is the European members of NATO who are prolonging the armed conflict in Ukraine by pumping the country with weapons and providing financial and political support. “The leadership of most European countries is doing its utmost to persuade the U.S. administration to abandon the idea of settling the situation in Ukraine by addressing the root causes of the conflict at the negotiating table. We hope that President Trump remains sincere in his desire to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and will maintain commitment to the principles that were developed at the Anchorage summit, and what is more, they were developed on the basis of the U.S. proposals,” Sergey Lavrov added.
The 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security is running in the Belarusian capital on 28-29 October. The event is held under the auspices of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The conference has brought together delegations from over 40 countries and 7 international organizations. The participants include ministers of foreign affairs, heads of integration associations, representatives of parliaments, research institutes and analytical centers from Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
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