NATO must recognize Russia's role as a peacekeeper and a guarantor of stability if it wants to cooperate, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, one of Moscow's negotiators at the Russia-NATO Council meeting, said on Wednesday
BRUSSELS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2022) NATO must recognize Russia's role as a peacekeeper and a guarantor of stability if it wants to cooperate, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, one of Moscow's negotiators at the Russia-NATO Council meeting, said on Wednesday.
"If NATO countries really want to cooperate with us, they must accept this important role of Russia as a country that guarantees peace in the Euro-Atlantic region and that makes a critical contribution to maintaining peace and stability," Grushko said during a press conference.
Moscow will not allow anyone to dictate it what kind of presence it should have in joint bodies with NATO, he went on.
"Russia will not allow anyone to dictate what kind of presence there should be. By and large, if NATO keeps claiming that they have no hostile intentions toward Russia, that they want to build cooperation with Russia, they should be interested in having more Russian diplomats," Grushko said.
Fundamental differences in viewing how European security should be maintained did not allow the sides to agree on further actions, the diplomat added.
