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Lavrov vows proper response to NATO activity near Russia's borders

The top diplomat stresses Russia is interested in restoration of normal relations with the US and the European Union

MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Moscow will continue to adequately react to NATO’s enhanced activity and the approaching by the alliance’s military infrastructure of the Russian borders, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a large news conference on 2018 on Wednesday.

"We will definitely continue to duly react to NATO’s enhanced military activity and the approaching by the military infrastructure of the Russian border," he said.

"We are still interested in the restoration of normal relations with the US and the European Union based on the principles of equality of rights and mutual consideration of interests," the minister added.

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to NATO

Russian cannot agree to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to NATO, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference on the results of 2018 on Wednesday.

"The rules that are being promoted in the Balkan region in general are dangerous enough and are reflective of the mania to push all Balkan states to NATO as quickly as possible," the Russian foreign minister noted.

So, Lavrov reiterated that the US has long had a rather critical discussion of Serbia’s destructive role and its slowdown of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to NATO. "Not Republika Srpska’s welfare but its accession to NATO is on stake," the minister noted. "That’s what we [Russia] cannot agree to, as it is mentality of the previous centuries."

"In a situation when we all proclaimed the intention to build common economic and humanitarian space and provide equal and indivisible security in the Euro-Atlantic region, it all is the substitution of international law with the rules that will be NATO-centric instead of universal. And there are a great number of such examples," Lavrov concluded.