MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti) – NATO's policy of "creeping expansion" eastward, which includes pulling Russia's neighboring countries into the alliance, should be put to an end, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said Wednesday.
"The Russian initiative to turn the principle of indivisible and universal security in the Euro-Atlantic area into a legally binding agreement remains extremely relative. NATO countries" policy of strengthening their own security at the expense of the security of others has a serious potential for conflict," Meshkov said at an international scientific conference in Belgrade.
"In this context, the policy of NATO's creeping expansion eastward, with the involvement of Russia's direct neighbors in the alliance, should be put to an end," Meshkov added.
"Another highly important principle, which should be implemented in practice, is the rejection of the use of force in conflict resolution, including domestically. Flagrant interference in the affairs of other countries is also unacceptable," the deputy foreign minister stressed.
On September 13, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that moving NATO's infrastructure closer to Russian borders is "unacceptable".
Lavrov also noted that Russia's proposal to turn the commitments given within the framework of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) not to strengthen the security of the alliance at the expense of the security of others into a legally binding agreement "was rejected multiple times."
At the September 4-5 summit in Wales, NATO countries agreed to widen collective security measures, seeing Russia as a potential threat, but confirmed that they do not intend to target Russia with its missile defense system and intend to continue political dialogue with Moscow even under conditions of frozen relations.
The military alliance has been ratcheting up its presence near Russia's borders, citing the need to better defend its allies. NATO has intensified its air patrols in the Baltic region, deployed surveillance planes over Poland and Romania and sent its warships to the Black and Mediterranean seas.
In April, NATO suspended cooperation with Russia over Moscow's alleged role in escalating the crisis in Ukraine, a claim Russia has repeatedly denied.
