MOSCOW, November 30. /TASS/. Russia is open to dialogue with NATO on an equal footing, but so far no constructive proposals by the alliance have been put forward, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
"NATO’s expansion, breaking off contacts within the NATO-Russia Council, blocking cooperation with Russia, the absence of dialogue in such areas as combating terrorism and drug trafficking, dialogue on Afghanistan - all that is the alliance’s aggressive rhetoric," she said. "Besides, the desire and intention to cooperate with Russia expressed by other alliance’s member-countries have been discouraged."
According to Zakharova, what is being done by NATO and its individual representatives playing a big role in that organization with regard to Russia is something unprecedented.
"According to the alliance’s representatives, it was set up for defensive purposes, while, actually, its actions are aggressive," the diplomat stressed.
"They have created such a situation and such circumstances in international affairs, which have exacerbated existing problems," Zakharova emphasized. "We have not seen any constructive agenda on the part of NATO for a long time, as far as Russia is concerned, even though we are ready and open for any dialogue." "There is one condition though. This dialogue should be based on an equal footing."