Russia and the CIS (bbabo.net) - NATO will not abandon the presence of its forces in the eastern direction. This was stated by the official representative of the North Atlantic Alliance, Oana Lungescu.

"NATO will not give up the ability to protect and defend each other, including through the presence of forces in the eastern part of the alliance," RIA Novosti quoted Lungescu as saying.

According to a NATO official, the alliance continues to remain vigilant and study the need to strengthen the eastern part.

Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Russia's proposals for security guarantees include demands to withdraw NATO forces from Bulgaria and Romania. The ministry recalled that these countries joined the North Atlantic Alliance after 1997. Diplomats stressed that this initiative was formed clearly and does not allow for ambiguous interpretations.

On January 21, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The parties discussed the issue of security guarantees. After negotiations, Larov stated that the meeting did not bring any concrete results.

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