BRUSSELS, March 24. /TASS/. Member-states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will carry on with their ‘Open Door Policy’ regarding the alliance’s global expansion, according to an official statement published on Thursday after the NATO summit in Brussels.
"We remain committed to the foundational principles underpinning European and global security, including that each nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements free from outside interference," the statement reads.
"We reaffirm our commitment to NATO’s Open Door Policy under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty," the statement continued. "We will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and defend the security of our Allied populations and every inch of Allied territory. Our commitment to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is iron-clad."
The statement also said that NATO member states are also: "… providing tailored support to partners affected by Russian threats and interference and will step up our assistance to help them resist Russian malign influence and strengthen their resilience, based on our partners’ requests and our long-standing partnership programs."
"In April, Foreign Ministers will consider concrete proposals for enhancing our support to these partners," according to the statement.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."
The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories and the operation was aimed at demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine.
When clarifying the developments unfolding, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.