MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Moscow will consider Berlin’s new attitude in the so-called 2016 White Paper on German Security Policy and the Future of the Bundeswehr that has re-classified Russia from a partner into a factor of instability, the spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
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"Moscow was disappointed after getting familiarized with a new edition of the White Paper," Zakharova said. "Remarks mentioned in the doctrine on the need to cooperate with Russia in the sphere of common interests do not cancel the fact that by approving the White Paper, Berlin is cementing a confrontational component of its entire policy in regard to Russia in the long term. Evidently, Russia is being reclassified from the partner in the context of resolving current global crises into a factor of instability."
Along with this, Zakharova said that if the facts were given "that do not correspond to reality, such a conclusion could be made only by talking oneself into the justice of so-called facts that have been picked up by oneself."
"Berlin is convinced that without a U-turn in the Russian policy in the foreseeable future, Moscow will remain a challenge in the European continent," she said. "Remarks mentioned in the doctrine on the need to cooperate with Russia in the sphere of common interests do not cancel the fact that by approving the White Paper, Berlin is cementing a confrontational component of its entire policy in regard to Russia in the long term. Evidently, Russia is being reclassified from the partner in the context of resolving current global crises into a factor of instability, or the cause that has negative influence on security in Germany among others."
"Assessing and analyzing this document, we leave it on the authors’ conscience," Zakharova said. "It has nothing in common with true values and goals of the Russian foreign and security policies."
"Berlin’s another anti-Russian insinuation cannot but arouse regret and we will take it into consideration in the aspect of Russian-German relations," the diplomat said.
The 2016 White Paper says: "Without a fundamental change in policy, Russia will constitute a challenge to the security of our continent in the foreseeable future. At the same time, however, Europe and Russia remain linked by a broad range of common interests and relations."
On July 13 the German government approved a new edition of the White Paper on the country’s security policy and defense submitted by Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. The document prescribes a concept of the country’s policies in security and defense for coming years. The authorities believe that the previous edition, in place since 2006, should have been overhauled due to the current geopolitical situation.