Russia's initiative on forming a new pan-European security architecture is not aimed against other existing security organizations including NATO, a deputy foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev proposed drawing up a new pan-European security pact in June 2008, and Russia published a draft of the treaty on November 29, sending copies to heads of state and international organizations, including NATO.
"Reproaches constantly circulate that we have put forward this initiative against NATO. This is not so. We pursue this policy against no one and, on the contrary, we stand for the greater cooperation between the existing international institutions," Alexander Grushko said at the Towards New European Security Architecture international conference in London.
Although Western nations say they are open to discuss the plan, diplomats are concerned privately that it is an attempt to replace or weaken NATO, or limiting the freedom of nations to join the Western alliance without Russia's approval.
He said the main goal of the new document is to determine new principles of cooperation in the sphere of security on the Euro-Atlantic area and to form new long-term obligations.
"There must be long-term commitments based on mutual agreements," Grushko said.
Last week NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Russia's security pact draft would be discussed more by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe than by NATO.
The Towards New European Security Architecture international conference is being held in London and was organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Valdai Discussion Club and Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti.
LONDON, December 9 (RIA Novosti)
