BERLIN, June 14. /TASS/. The German government sees Russia as the most serious threat to security and the world order in Europe in the foreseeable future, but it also favors political and military communication channels between NATO and Moscow, says the first-ever national security strategy adopted by the German Cabinet on Wednesday.
"Russia as it is today will be the most serious threat to peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic space in the foreseeable future," the document maintains. According to the German authorities, the special military operation in Ukraine was "a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and the common European security system" as well as "an epochal turning point."
According to the German government, Moscow allegedly seeks to "destroy state sovereignty, territorial integrity, cultural identity and the political existence of a peaceful neighbor" and advances "a policy of spheres of influence."
The German authorities claim that Russia is building up conventional and nuclear weapons and "thus threatens strategic stability." "It is systematically trying to destabilize democratic societies in Europe, weaken the EU and NATO, and is pursuing a global interest-based policy aimed against human and peoples’ rights," the strategy maintains. The German government is convinced that Moscow's "energy and raw materials policy is part of these actions."
Nevertheless, Berlin "counts on maintaining credible political and military channels of communication in NATO-Russia relations in order to reduce strategic risks and promote transparency." "We remain open to mutual measures to maintain transparency as soon as conditions arise. We rely on practical instruments for arms control and building confidence on the military track under the auspices of the OSCE," he went on to say.
The strategy also says that "neither Germany nor NATO seek confrontation with Russia." "However, we, in the Alliance, are at any time ready and able to defend sovereignty and freedom, both our own and that of our allies," the document stressed.