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Russia against creation of NATO-like blocs for dealing with world problems — Lavrov

Russia's top diplomat emphasized the importance of dealing with the Middle East’s problems on the collective, inclusive basis

NICOSIA, May 18. /TASS/. Russia is against the idea of tackling world security issues, including those in the Middle East, by creating NATO-like military-political alliances, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, when asked about discussions in the US media of an idea of creating a military-political alliance, an equivalent of NATO, in the Middle East.

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Lavrov warns Moscow will not turn NATO-Russia Council into battlefield

"You know our negative attitude to the idea of tackling international security issues that concern all through narrow, closed military-political alliances," he said. "There’ve been quite a few speculations in the media about the content of US President Donald Trump’s forthcoming talks in the Middle East. We prefer to wait and see for this event to be over, when there is more clarity as to what is on the agenda."

Lavrov emphasized the importance of dealing with the Middle East’s problems on the collective, inclusive basis.

"Fundamentally we proceed from the assumption that the most complicated problems in the Middle East and North Africa can be addressed only on the collective, inclusive basis, with all actors taking part, without any exceptions and without any attempts to isolate somebody," Lavrov said. "It is essential to prevent wedges from being driven between countries to split them along ethnic and religious lines."

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Sergey Lavrov NATO

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