Statements on indivisibility of security remain nice slogan for West, says Lavrov
"The West can extend legal guarantees of security only to those who will be joining NATO," he said
BERLIN, July 13. /TASS/. Declarations about indivisibility of security remain only nice slogans for the West and no one there is going to do anything along the lines of this principle, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday as he spoke at a conference at the Korber Foundation here.
"The West can extend legal guarantees of security only to those who will be joining NATO," he said. "This is an absolutely clear position and it clearly reveals the West’s practical reluctance to talk about whatever indivisibility."
"They made a nice slogan out of it and read out a declaration and when it came to making this pledge a legally binding one, they immediately said no to it," Lavrov said. "It’s those who join NATO that will have an appropriate ‘umbrella’ over their heads."
Lavrov also recalled Russia offered its partners in NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as far back in 2009 to formalize the principle of indivisible security.
"We prepared a draft treaty and handed it to member-states of the OSCE and to members of the Russia-NATO Council and what we heard in response from them was ‘Forget about it’," he said.
"Quite possibly, commitment of a country to one or another principle is the right instrument for testing its preparedness for practical steps," Lavrov said.