10 Apr 2019 15:22

Federation Council says dialogue with NATO military, politicians necessary

MOSCOW. April 10 (Interfax) - The Federation Council made a statement on the destructive policy of NATO on Wednesday.

"The Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly believes that a dialogue between the military and politicians of Russia and NATO could play a positive role in this exacerbated situation. We can only regret that the old formats and communication channels have been unilaterally scrapped at NATO's initiative," the Federation Council said in a statement entitled, "On the Destructive Policy Pursued by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after its Establishment in 1949."

According to the statement, cooperation in a number of security areas, which meets the interests of all Euro-Atlantic states, has been terminated.

"The destructive policy of ultimatums and sanctions which is pursued by NATO member states is a road to nowhere. Assurances of their interest in de-escalation and prevention of dangerous military incidents are not being supported with a real effort to restore normal working contacts with the Russian Federation in military issues," the statement said.

In the opinion of the Federation Council, the meeting of the North Atlantic Council held in Washington DC on April 3 and 4 proved that confrontation with Russia was a key factor of the unity of NATO ranks and the alliance's existence as such.

"As a remnant of the Cold War, NATO is demonstrating its inability to give a proper response to real modern challenges and is justifying its existence in its current form with the need for defense from the mythical threat from the East. Every stage of NATO's enlargement unavoidably creates new lines of division in Europe and threatens European and global security, as well as the wellbeing of all citizens in Euro-Atlantic nations without exception," the statement said.

"The myth that NATO is a defensive alliance was completely scattered by its military operation against the Union Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999," it said.

"Subsequent military operations in Afghanistan and Libya, in which many NATO member states took an active part, did not help settle domestic conflicts and resolve problems of these countries but instead led to chaos and heavy civilian casualties. NATO is trying to substitute the world, which relies on universal norms of international law instated by consensus, with a certain "rule-based order," which results in endless crises and conflicts in various parts of the planet," the statement said.

The Federation Council believes that Russia and NATO have plenty of important issues to discuss and that a significant number of common threats require a joint response.

"However, it is possible to build constructive relations between Russia and NATO, including on the parliamentary level, exclusively on the basis of mutual respect, the taking into account of each other's lawful rights, and the renouncement of diktat and ultimatums," the statement said.