Lavrov: Russia Shares Belarus’ Concerns About NATO Expanding East

Representatives of Russia and Belarus have agreed upon their own “response measures.”

Russia shares Belarus’ concerns over NATO expansion towards the east, said on May 16 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to journalists in Minsk after his talks with his Belarusian counterpart Uladzimir Makei and Aliaksandr Lukashenka, BelaPAN informs.

“We share concerns regarding our colleagues from NATO countries trying to stir up confrontation, moving their infrastructure forward to the east, close to our borders, – Lavrov said. H – You know how these questions are being discussed, and how attempts to whip up emotions are made. Neither Russia nor Belarus favour such a confrontational line – we stand for discussing and following principles of equalsecurity for all.”

In his turn, speaking about security in Europe, the head of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Belarus Uladzimir Makei said: “Now our Western partners are talking about some additional deployment of military contingents in a number of countries which are our neighbours. We are viewing that as a potential challenge in the framework of our “union state.”

As Makei noted, Belarus and Russia are openly speaking to their European partners “about unacceptability of deploying additional military contingents.”

As said by him, the current situation near the eastern borders of NATO, does not advance greater security on the European continent. “We have agreed to jointly develop our own adequate response measures,” – the head of the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Belarus specified