Direct: Lavrov holds a press conference on the results of the work of the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2021

Posted:

14 ene 2022 08:19 GMT

The event is held in a mixed format, where questions can be asked to the minister both online and in person.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold a press conference on Friday on the results of the work of the Russian Foreign Ministry in 2021.

The event is held in a mixed format, where questions can be asked to the minister both online and in person.

Written answers

At the beginning of his statements, Lavrov addressed the subject of recent negotiations between Russia and the West regarding security guarantees in Europe, and stated that Moscow expected “written answers” from Washington and NATO.

“We are waiting for our colleagues’ responses, written responses, on paper, as we did when presenting our proposals. But in the meantime, of course, we will continue to work to ensure that we are prepared for any development of events,” the minister said, noting that Moscow’s partners “understood the need to do this quickly, Specifically on paper, they realized that the Russian Federation would not wait indefinitely.”

“In general, we are convinced that if there are good intentions, and if there is a will to make concessions, then a mutually acceptable solution can always be found,” the foreign minister stressed. “If our proposals are rejected, when and if this happens, I will be less pessimistic; we, of course, will assess the situation and inform the president,” Lavrov said.

Because now?

The minister also explained why Moscow had raised the issue of NATO non-expansion in recent months. “It all built up. It built up during the post-1990s period, when promises were made not to expand NATO, not to expand NATO’s military infrastructure to the east, and not to ship military systems in that region far from our interlocutors,” the diplomat explained. And our Western partners during five waves of expansion are already close to our borders.”

Lavrov noted that previously Poland was the only country that wanted to join NATO, but now the situation has “significantly changed” and the territories that intend to join the alliance are “developed from a military point of view.” The minister stressed that Russia is currently seeking to “reduce military tensions in Europe”, while the West is doing “the opposite”, and Western countries are increasing their military presence near Ukraine and in the Black Sea.

In his remarks, the foreign minister also described the West’s demands as “absurd” and “unreasonable” regarding how “Russia treats its armed forces on its territory”, demands that could precede an increase in “rapid NATO” activities. Reaction forces and special operations forces “near the Russian border in the next two or three months.

More information soon.