NATO’s policy of deterrence against Russia hampers cooperation – Moscow

The policy of deterrence, which NATO is conducting against Russia, hampers normal cooperation, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko on the sidelines of the core group meeting of the Munich Security Conference, hosted by Minsk, Belarus. “The problem of our relationship with NATO is that NATO is sliding back to its 1949 disposition - to a policy of deterrence in its relations with our country,” TASS quoted Grushko as saying. “So, there can be no normal cooperation under these conditions, since cooperation is possible when the parties do not regard each other as enemies, but presume that there are objective spheres of common interests.” Speaking on the work of the Russia-NATO Council, he said that “if any joint coordinated actions were needed, such actions were carried out.” The diplomat pointed to “certain successes in the war on terror” that had been achieved.