TOKYO, November 2 (Itar-Tass) - Moscow hopes that relations between the United States and Japan will not pose any problems to Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after two-plus-two format talks between the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries on Saturday.
“The two-plus-two format is not an encroachment on Japan’s relations with the United States or with any other country. We hope that the United States’ relations with Japan will not pose problems to Russia, either,” Lavrov said. “It is our fundamental principle to never make friends with any country to the detriment of somebody else. It is one of the priorities of Russia’s foreign policy to ensure not a single country should feel discomfort or risks to its security.”
Lavrov said “this is precisely why Russia has been pressing for the establishment of a new architecture in the Asia-Pacific Region that would rely on non-bloc principles and the idea that no country shall maintain its own security at the expense of others.”
“The principle of indivisibility of security has not been translated into action yet, which is seen in the United States’ plans for creating a global missile defense,” Lavrov said. “I see the main meaning of the two-plus-two format in advancing the dialogue over the problem of security in the Asia-Pacific Region in a great variety of aspects and in fostering a climate of confidence and strengthening relations of trust between Russia and Japan.”