Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Expresses Discontent

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the response of NATO and EU countries regarding the principle of indivisibility of security, announced Maria Zakharova, the official spokesperson of the foreign ministry. This was reported by RIA Novosti.

At the end of January, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sent a letter to Western partners, emphasizing that EU and NATO member countries should remember how they will uphold their commitments under the OSCE framework, particularly the principle of indivisibility of security, which states that the security of one country cannot be ensured at the expense of another state.

“There is no substantial response to the issue in the received documents,” noted Zakharova. According to her, instead, Russia was offered a new phase of discussions on the matter.

“It is clearly and unequivocally stated in the European Security Charter adopted at a high level in the OSCE in 1999 and the Astana Declaration of 2010 that no state, group of states, or organization can possess the responsibility of prioritizing the maintenance of peace and stability in the OSCE region. Yet, NATO and the EU claim their primary role in ensuring Euro-Atlantic security. Such an approach is absolutely unacceptable for us,” the ministry's spokesperson declared.

Zakharova urged partners to uphold their commitments. “Therefore, we cannot accept the 'collective' response, which resembles a 'circular cutting.' We are expecting a broad response to the questions we have raised from each address,” she stated.

Previously, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had stated that a joint letter would not be accepted at Smolensk Square since such a document could not convey all the nuances of national positions.