MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. Russia finds NATO’s growing activity near the borders of Russia and Belarus worrisome, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a message of greeting, read out by the deputy chief of the Foreign Policy Planning Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Alexei Dobrynin, at the opening of a conference commemorating Andrei Gromyko.

"We find worrisome NATO’s growing activity near the borders of Belarus and Russia, as well as the decisions in favor of the further buildup of the member countries’ military budgets made at the alliance’s London summit. These steps lead to Europe’s militarization and are being taken in defiance of the vows not to strengthen one's own security at the expense of the security of others," the message runs.

Lavrov pointed to the acute crisis of the system of arms control. "Tremendous damage to the architecture of strategic stability was caused by the United States, which after its pullout from the anti-ballistic missile treaty ruined the INF Treaty. The future of the New START is in question. We will continue to react adequately to unfriendly actions. At the same time, Russia does not seek confrontation," Lavrov said.

Also, he pointed out that Russia counters "destructive policies being conducted by Washington and its allies" with a positive unification agenda and is keen to prevent the emergence of new separation lines and create a zone of equal and indivisible security and broad cooperation from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.