BRUSSELS, December 28. /TASS/. Russia has offered the West a revival of the pan-European security system, and from it only the outer shell, in the form of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), has remained, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told TASS on Tuesday.

"There is actually one outer shell left today from the European security system in the form of the OSCE," the envoy specified.

"Russia’s proposals seek to defend Russia’s national security interests and are trying to revive pan-European security in the shape that we knew it," Chizhov said.

"Ideally, NATO should abandon the 2008 Bucharest summit’s statement on the intention to admit Ukraine and Georgia in an indefinite future and that the United States should withdraw its nuclear weapons from Europe and stop concentrating weapons (including conventional armaments) near Russia’s borders. If we manage to achieve this scenario, this could be considered as a serious step forward," the Russian diplomat stressed.

"As for reciprocal guarantees, Russia has remained a responsible member of the international community and one of the chief defenders of the UN Charter during the course of its entire recent history, despite the rapid and not quite positive developments and our partners’ dubious steps from the standpoint of international law. This by itself is a universal guarantee. Possible additional agreements will obviously be discussed by specialists and experts vested with the corresponding powers," Chizhov went on to say.

Breaches by NATO

"Perhaps, we should have employed a tougher demarche back in 2008 at the time of NATO’s Bucharest summit, which trumpeted the future membership of Ukraine and Georgia in the alliance. They calmed us down at the time: a specific date had not been set and the alliance’s plan of action for this membership was not presented to them. However, all this is a weak consolation. As a result, this formula has gained a foothold and become a subject of numerous speculations, moreover, not only in Kiev and Tbilisi but also here, in Brussels and other capitals," the Russian diplomat stressed.

"To be more specific, this decision by NATO is a breach of the commitment signed by all the leaders of the OSCE states, including the leaders of all the NATO countries, in Istanbul in 1999. The document adopted at that time - the Charter for European Security - directly stipulated that none of the signatory states would seek to strengthen its own security at the expense of the security of other states," he pointed out.

On December 17, Russia’s Foreign Ministry published drafts of an agreement with the United States on security guarantees and an agreement between Russia and the NATO member states on security measures. The drafts were handed over to US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried on December 15.

A high-placed US official told a special phone briefing that the US authorities considered some of Russia’s security proposals unacceptable but were generally ready for negotiations with Russia via various channels already in early January.