Lavrov dubs anti-ISIS coalition idea unpromising
MOSCOW. Sept 9 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is skeptical about the anti-ISIS coalition idea approved at the recent NATO summit.
"An alliance based on the interests of just one group of states and the wish to neutralize only a part of the threat, not to mention a large portion of ideology and confrontational spirit, cannot be called promising," he said at a press conference in Moscow.
"Let us not forget that alongside the announced creation of a coalition to fight the threat coming from the "Islamic State" the NATO declaration passed in Wales put the Russian Federation at the top of the list of numerous threats rather than international terrorism," the minister remarked.
In this case, NATO member countries have tried to substitute real threats with the imaginary ones, Lavrov said. This policy aims to unite NATO members with the stern discipline of the Cold War epoch, the Russian foreign minister stated.
Speaking of his negotiations with the U.S. Secretary of State about the joint fight against terrorism, the minister said he "had unwaveringly confirmed the Russian readiness for such contacts."
"But [contacts] were purely verbal, excluding a rather ugly demonstration of the interest in fighting terrorism by the documents adopted at the summit of the North Atlantic Alliance," the minister said.
Lavrov reaffirmed Russian readiness for cooperation with Western countries in the struggle with the terrorist threat. "We are always prepared to have a fair and partner-like dialogue. This is not because of some ultimatums but because we have a responsible attitude to our duties as a member of the [UN] Security Council," he explained.