NATO's suspension of cooperation lose-lose decision. -Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman

Russia said Wednesday neither Russia nor NATO would benefit from the Western alliance's decision to put on hold mutual cooperation.

Noting the NATO decision to freeze military and civilian cooperation with Russia has created "deja-vu effect," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said "the wording of that statement reminds the war of words during the Cold War."

NATO's foreign ministers gathered in Brussels Tuesday for a closed-door meeting and decided to suspend all bloc's practical cooperation with Russia.

Lukashevich recalled that the military bloc suspended cooperation with Moscow in 2008 following a brief Russia-Georgia armed conflict, but returned to cooperation citing "all-weather" nature of mutual relations.

"It is not too hard to imagine who will benefit from freezing of joint Russia-NATO work to counter modern threats and challenges to international and European security, like fighting terrorism, piracy, natural and industrial disasters," said the spokesman.

Neither Russia not the NATO countries will be the winner, he added.

Meanwhile, Moscow rejected NATO allegations that Russia was mulling aggressive plans threatening Western countries.

"The claims about Moscow's allegedly aggressive plans creating threats to the NATO countries are absolutely groundless," the Interfax news agency quoted Russian envoy to the NATO Alexander Grushko as saying.

He added that the only threat might come from Ukrainian nationalists and radicals in case of further deterioration of the situation in that country.

In turn, he said the NATO moves to protect Eastern European countries made no sense.

The 28-member bloc started air drills Tuesday over the former Soviet republic of Lithuania with emergency landing and search and rescue operations.

"The aim of these exercises is to wake up the Cold War instincts and to prove NATO's necessity in the current safe conditions," Grushko said, adding that Russia "in any case" will take all necessary steps to reliably guarantee its security.
globaltimes.cn
2/4/14
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• Ответ официального представителя МИД России А.К.Лукашевича на вопрос СМИ о решении НАТО приостановить сотрудничество с Россией в связи с ситуацией на Украине

Вопрос: Как в Москве воспринято сделанное 1 апреля в Брюсселе заявление мининдел стран НАТО о приостановке сотрудничества с Россией в связи с событиями на Украине? 
 
Ответ: Решение Совета НАТО на уровне министров иностранных дел приостановить сотрудничество с Россией по гражданской и военной линии создает эффект «дежавю». Язык заявления скорее напоминает словесные пикировки эпохи «холодной войны». А само решение возвращает нас к событиям шестилетней давности, когда Брюссель заморозил работу Совета Россия - НАТО. Чем эта «заморозка» закончилась, хорошо известно. НАТО по своей же инициативе вернулось к взаимодействию с Россией, констатировав «всепогодный характер» сотрудничества в рамках СРН. Нетрудно себе представить, кто выиграет сегодня от свертывания совместной работы России и НАТО по противодействию современным угрозам и вызовам международной и европейской безопасности, в частности в таких областях, как борьба с терроризмом, пиратством, природными и техногенными катастрофами. В любом случае, это будут точно не Россия и не страны - члены НАТО.
mid.ru
2/4/14