MOSCOW, December 4. /TASS/. Russia doesn’t mind Turkey’s membership in NATO and minor gaps on some foreign policy issues because the two country have no differences on principal matters, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"We have no principal differences with Turkey," he told the online Rome MED Dialogues international conference. "I am convinced that relations between Russia and Turkey are an example of how two independent countries can work together to implement their policy. They bend to no one, they never advance any ultimatums, they yield to no external influences. So, Turkey’s membership in NATO is no obstacle for us."
According to the Russian top diplomat, differences between countries are inevitable but they can reach a balance of interests if they are open for cooperation. "This is what happening in relations between Russia and Turkey that are based on the principles of good neighborhood and reckoning with each other’s interests. By today, our presidents have managed to elaborate a model of cooperation that irons out these contradictions," he said.
He stressed that Moscow and Ankara successfully cooperated in various areas and had promising plans for further development of bilateral cooperation. In his words, despite gaps in approaches, the two countries manage to consolidate their efforts to promote cessation of hostilities in various conflict zones. "As for Libya, yes, we have different approach with Turkey there. Turkey prefers to focus on its relations with the Tripoli-based administration. But look at the general picture. I think that Turkey’s, ours [Russia’s] and other parties’ participation promotes cooperation in the interests of cessation of hostilities in various regions, including Nagorno-Karabakh," he explained.
The Russian top diplomat recalled that Russia had not shared Turkey’s position at the beginning of the latest round of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh when Ankara did not rule out a military solution to the conflict. The situation however was resolved through a trilateral agreement between the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders. "In all such cases, Russia and Turkey manage to find points of contact, ways to reach a synergy to consolidate our efforts. This is what is taking place in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh," Lavrov stressed.
"Another good example is Syria where Russia, Turkey and Iran created the Astana format which has proved to be the best mechanism for settling the conflict in Syria. The Astana format has proved its worth on the backdrop of the United Nation’s inaction. And we hail Turkey’s participation in this format," he added.