The written reaction of NATO and the EU regarding the understanding and implementation in practice of the principle of indivisibility of security is seen as "dodging the answer," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. In her opinion, the West does not want to recognize the obligations assumed by the OSCE and Russia-NATO. Russia cannot accept the collective response of the European Union and NATO to the letter of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about their understanding of the principle of the indivisibility of security. This is stated in the comments of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, published on the agency's website on Friday, February 11.

“We cannot accept a “collective” response, reminiscent of “mutual responsibility”. We look forward to a detailed response to our question from each addressee. Dodging the answer means that the West does not want to recognize the commitments taken through the OSCE and Russia-NATO and are trying to take care of their security at our expense, ”she said.

Zakharova claims that the responses of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, to which the Russian Federation did not address, do not contain a substantive reaction to the directly posed question.

“Instead, we are invited to enter into a dialogue to strengthen security. Recall that Sergey Lavrov's message was addressed to the foreign ministers of 37 states of Europe and North America. And it was especially emphasized in it that we expect a detailed response in a national capacity, ”she explained.

According to her assessment, the response of Stoltenberg and Borrell "cannot be described otherwise than as a manifestation of diplomatic impoliteness and disrespect" to Moscow's request.

“The OSCE and Russia-NATO documents, which contain the principle of the indivisibility of security, bear the signatures of the heads of state and government of the respective countries. States participate in the OSCE in their national capacity, and it is in this capacity that they have pledged not to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others.

Zakharova said that the new round of discussions on European security proposed by the West is "categorically unacceptable." “This principle is enshrined in the fundamental documents of the OSCE and Russia-NATO adopted at the highest level. There is nothing to discuss here. We just need to fulfill the relevant agreements unconditionally and in full measure. We will achieve this,” she concluded.

On January 28, Lavrov sent a message to the heads of the foreign ministries of a number of European countries, the United States and Canada on the subject of the indivisibility of security. On Thursday, Borrell said he had sent a letter to the Russian minister in which he called on Moscow for dialogue and the withdrawal of troops from Belarus, as well as from the borders of Ukraine and Crimea. For his part, Stoltenberg said that he had sent a letter to Lavrov calling for new negotiations on the situation in Ukraine, military transparency, risk reduction and arms control, including nuclear weapons, recalls TASS.

We add that in the spontaneous rating of trust in Russian politicians, Lavrov's indicator, according to the latest data from VTsIOM, is 17.4% - he is second only to President Vladimir Putin and shares the second or third position with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. At the same time, in January 2022, the rating of the Foreign Minister increased by 4.3%.

bbabo.Net