The Foreign Ministry Collegium on Tuesday discussed the European direction of Russia’s foreign policy, noting the degradation of the military and political situation in Europe, primarily in the context of the militarization of NATO’s eastern flank, the ministry’s website said
“The recently intensified trend towards the degradation of the politico-military situation in Europe, primarily in the context of the militarisation of NATO’s eastern flank and the erosion of conventional and strategic arms control regimes in Europe”, – the statement said.
It is noted that the meeting noted the counterproductive nature of the line of Western countries to construct a new geopolitical reality for their interests, “promoting the concept of a ‘rules-based world order’ with a view to squeeze the existing collectively approved international legal norms, led by the UN Charter, with its help.”
“The unacceptability of attempts to turn the CoE, the OSCE and their institutions into an instrument for the implementation of this concept is stressed. Attention was drawn to the use of unilateral tools of sanctions, provocations and propaganda campaigns, and other forms of interference in the internal affairs of Russia and its allies by the EU and NATO countries and institutions”, – the Foreign Ministry said.
The EU’s unpunished persecution of Russian and Russian-language journalists in the Baltics under the pretext of combating “Russian disinformation” was also discussed, with an exchange of views on existing and prospective mechanisms of response to unfriendly manifestations taking place.
“It was stressed that formation of long-term, stable and predictable model of good neighbourly relations on European continent, in particular in regions of common neighbourhood, is possible only under conditions of strict observance of balance of interests, development of wide dialogue between regional multilateral including integration associations on truly equal basis in accordance with political commitments taken in 1990s at the highest level including principle of security indivisibility, from fulfillment of which the West”