BEIJING, October 30. /TASS/. NATO countries, notably the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy, are contributing to the expansion of militarism and fueling the arms race by their actions in the Asia-Pacific region, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at the 10th Xiangshan Security Forum.

"Political actions taken by NATO members - the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy - contribute to militarization and the acceleration of the arms race. They are strengthening the regional deployment of national components of the naval and air forces, as well as the frequency and scale of multilateral military exercises in which containment and counteraction scenarios are used," he said.

The minister also pointed out that "there are no real military threats to the security of these countries" and that "NATO is covering up the buildup of military force in the Asia-Pacific region with an ostentatious desire for dialogue, imposing alliances and operational interaction policies on partners.".