“We don’t need such “security”” - Lavrov on the future of the OSCE
When the West understands that it is necessary to interact on a mutually agreed basis, and not destroy everything that has been created over the years in the sphere of European security, Russia will consider their proposals, but these must be fundamentally new beginnings of interaction.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated this at a press conference, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“The efforts of Western countries for many years were aimed at preventing the building of a system of equal and indivisible European security, despite all the mantras that were adopted as part of political declarations. We are now seeing the fruits of this absolutely short-sighted, erroneous policy. The spirit and letter of the basic OSCE documents have been violated. The OSCE was created at one time for pan-European dialogue. All of this raises difficult questions about what our future relationship with the OSCE will be like. But perhaps even more important is the question of what will happen to the OSCE itself.
What is clear is that if and when, at what point in time, our Western neighbors, there is no escaping the neighborhood, our former Western partners, suddenly become interested in somehow restoring joint work on European security, then restoration will not work. Because restoration means going back to something that was before. But business will not be business as usual. When and if the West understands that it is still better to be neighbors on the basis of some mutually agreed upon principles, well, we will listen to what the West will offer, and it is clear that these should be fundamentally new beginnings of interaction, but will the possibility of such interaction appear in the foreseeable future? , I don't know.
It’s up to the West to decide, which over all these long years has systematically destroyed everything that was laid down as the principles of functioning of a unique pan-European organization called the OSCE,” Lavrov said.
He noted that at the moment the security of Europe is completely subordinated to the United States.
“They are already trying to build security without Russia and Belarus. But now they need to come to an agreement among themselves. We don't need that kind of security. All security in Europe now boils down to the fact that it is completely subordinate to the United States. A few years ago there were disputes, including in Germany and France, when it advocated the strategic autonomy of the EU, it proposed creating an EU armed force. There were corresponding discussions in Germany, but it was France that most actively promoted the idea of creating EU armed forces, strategic autonomy of the EU,” he noted.
“But recently, one of the employees of the staff of the National Security Council of the US President said that Europe should categorically forget about any dreams of creating some kind of its own army; you cannot escape NATO.
When Western Europe, NATO, the EU understand the dead end of the line they are currently pursuing and the enormous risks contained in this line, we will see what they will be ready to come to us with a request to discuss some other possibilities,” - stressed the head of the Foreign Ministry.
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