"The alliance cannot conduct a normal dialogue": why Russia suspends the work of its permanent mission to NATO

Russia's Permanent Mission to NATO will suspend its work from the beginning of November, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“Just today we announced such (response to NATO actions. -

) steps.

The NATO International Secretariat has already been notified ... In response to NATO's actions, we suspend the work of our permanent mission to NATO, including the work of the chief military representative, ”Lavrov said.

The minister also announced the termination of the activities of the NATO military liaison mission in Moscow and the withdrawal of accreditation from its employees from November 1.

The same measures have been taken with regard to the information bureau of the alliance in the Russian capital, established at the Belgian embassy.

“If NATO members have any urgent matters, they can contact our ambassador to Belgium on these issues,” the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

The ministry also stressed that the alliance's line towards Russia is becoming more and more aggressive, and the "Russian threat" is inflated only in order to strengthen the internal unity of the bloc and create "the appearance of its" relevance "in modern geopolitical conditions."

The NATO information bureau refused to comment on the notice of the suspension of its work, citing the absence of the director of the structure.

"Hostile actions"

Recall that on October 6, NATO demanded that Russia reduce the number of staff of the permanent mission to 10 people, and also revoked the accreditation of eight diplomats, notifying them of the need to leave Brussels. According to the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg, this was done due to the intensification of the allegedly hostile activities of Russia, as well as due to the fact that the diplomats deprived of accreditation were officers of Russian intelligence.

“This decision is not related to any specific events, but we have been witnessing an increase in Russian malicious activity for some time now, and therefore we must be vigilant and act when we see that members of the Russian mission under NATO conduct activities that do not correspond to their (diplomatic. -

) accreditation.

For this reason, their accreditation has been revoked, ”Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels on October 7 following the meeting of the NATO Council.

He also noted that the alliance's relations with the Russian Federation are now at their lowest level since the Cold War.

At the same time, the secretary general emphasized the bloc's readiness to conduct a dialogue with Russia, accusing it of allegedly unwillingness to make contact.

“NATO's position on Russia is clear and unchanging - we are based on a dual approach: defense / deterrence and dialogue.

We are ready to conduct a meaningful dialogue with Russia.

We are ready to host a Russia-NATO Council meeting.

We have invited Russia to such a meeting for a long time, but so far Russia has not given a positive response, ”he said.

At the same time, earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, at a meeting with Stoltenberg on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly at the end of September, said that Moscow was in favor of de-escalation in relations with the North Atlantic Alliance.

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

• AP

• © Armando Franca

"On the Russian side, in a firm form, attention was again drawn to our specific proposals to de-escalate and reduce tensions along the contact line," the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.

According to experts, the current move on the part of Russia has become a logical response to the actions of the alliance, which, despite all its official statements about the dialogue, prefers to maintain an increased degree in relations with Moscow.

“Russia and NATO have always had a tense relationship.

The question now is whether NATO members will have enough common sense in this situation not to enter a dead end.

After all, Moscow has applied the principle of mirroring, "Sergei Ermakov, a leading expert at the RISS Research Coordination Center, explained in a comment to RT.

At the same time, he noted that the likelihood of continued escalation of relations is very high.

“After all, the entire ideology and architecture of NATO is based on the search for a common external enemy.

And in the current conditions, when there is no consensus in the alliance about its future strategy, the leadership of the bloc cannot conduct a normal, full-fledged, large-scale and comprehensive dialogue with those who are considered rivals, ”the analyst added.

In addition, he pointed out that in the eyes of the United States, NATO continues to be its instrument of pressure on countries that compete with it, among which Russia is still in first place.

"In the paradigm of" competition between great powers, "Washington will use the lever of military power, and NATO is a military alliance that is used as a tool of force, not diplomatic pressure," Yermakov stressed.

Existential threat

NATO continues to call Russia a threat to Western countries, which is also amplified by the strengthening of China in the international arena.

In particular, Jens Stoltenberg spoke about this in an interview with the Financial Times.

“(There is no point in. -

) treating China and Russia as separate (threats. -

), in separating the Asia-Pacific and European regions ... In terms of security, this is all a single space, and we must approach it as a whole.

Our (combat. -

) readiness, technology development, cyberspace and resilience

activities

all target the same threats.

We do not share them, ”said the Secretary General of the alliance.

In addition, he pointed to the cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, which the alliance takes into account when increasing investments in its technologies.

At the same time, the head of the bloc emphasized the increasing power of the PRC, calling it a threat to NATO member countries and noting that it will be "carefully" considered in the new strategy of the North Atlantic Alliance.

At the same time, despite the growing strengthening of China and its influence on the security of Western countries, Jens Stoltenberg declared the unchanged status of Russia as a state that must be contained.

According to him, any proposal to abandon the containment of Russian aggression will meet with protests from the Eastern European states - members of the alliance.

After all, as the secretary general noted, they regard Moscow as an existential threat, and the bloc as the only guarantor of security.

Experts interviewed by RT agree with the opinion of the Russian Foreign Ministry on the reasons for the myth of the "Russian threat" supported by Western countries.

They also pointed out that NATO is more guided by the course of the United States, which, despite being distracted by China, still do not intend to ease the pressure on the Russian Federation.

“In this sense, Stoltenberg, on the instructions of the United States, is accumulating the energy of the Europeans in support of Washington.

It should be understood that Western Europeans are not autonomous or sovereign states in the military-political field.

These states depend on Washington in this area, just as NATO is 90% dependent on the will of the United States.

And this needs to be constantly confirmed.

We can say that Stoltenberg has once again shown loyalty to his sovereign, the United States, "said Alexei Podberezkin, director of the Center for Military and Political Studies at MGIMO, in an interview with RT.

In this regard, the analyst suggested, it is now worth waiting for the alliance to initiate all kinds of non-military measures to destabilize the situation in these two countries.

“Only one thing can follow from NATO - the intensification of the escalation of military-force confrontation without the use of forceful military instruments.

The creation of all kinds of NGOs and other institutions destabilizing the internal situation in Russia is the immediate goal of NATO, ”Podberezkin said.

Vadim Kozyulin, head of the Center for Global Studies and International Relations of the IAMP of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, expressed his agreement that the NATO leadership today has to make great efforts to consolidate common actions against the background of disagreements between countries on the vector of the bloc's activities. After all, the population, in particular in the EU, is currently more concerned with such topical issues as the prospect of a new migration crisis or energy prices and the coming heating season.

“The population and authorities of European states understand that Russia does not pose the threat that is attributed to it.

This is indirectly confirmed by the fact that the EU countries are very reluctant to increase their military spending.

In particular, Germany did not increase its spending.

Therefore, Stoltenberg has a difficult task - to gather NATO countries and keep the population in good shape.

And this is noticeable in his statements, constant reminders that Russia is the enemy, "Kozyulin said in a commentary on RT.

• Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Dewey crosses the Pacific Ocean

• Reuters

• © US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Olympia O. McCo

According to him, the alliance is now being shaken by scandals.

First, the United States with its rapid withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the fall of the republic under the onslaught of the Taliban, then the defense partnership of Washington, Canberra and London AUKUS and the deprivation of Paris of a major contract for submarines for Australia.

“Therefore, in order to neutralize such negative events, which have nothing to do with Russia, NATO is again pulling the“ Russian threat ”out of a dusty bag,” the expert summed up.