MOSCOW, September 21 /TASS/. Moscow closely watches Japan and South Korea being dragged into the US missile defense plans, which are destabilizing for international security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida on Monday.
"We are certainly watching the evolution of Japan’s approaches to the provision of its security and to certain clauses of the country’s constitution. We also note the concern of Japan’s neighbours, especially in the light of the /Japanese/ government’s decision to ease restrictions on collective self-defense," Lavrov said.
"It is noteworthy that these events are taking place along with the strong and powerful US military presence and military buildup in Northeast Asia. It also concerns the build-up and creation of the US missile defense system in the Asia-Pacific region," Lavrov said adding he had discussed the destabilizing impact of the US missile defense systems on international security with the Japanese foreign minister.
"Fumio Kishida and I discussed the US missile defense plans that are destabilizing for international security. We are watching this project from the point of view of involvement of Japan and other countries such as South Korea in the creation of the Asia-Pacific missile defense system. We also see how the underlying principles of the US-Japanese defense cooperation are being revised and a nuclear component of this cooperation is becoming more noticeable," the Russian foreign minister stressed.
Moscow is convinced that the bloc approaches to the provision of security have outlived themselves. "Close military alliances be them in Europe or the Asia-Pacific region do not contribute to reducing tensions. We stand for comprehensive, open and transparent security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region based on principles of international law; peaceful settlement of disputes; the non-use of force and no threat with force," Lavrov said.
