Transcript of Remarks and Replies to Media Questions by Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov at Press Conference Following Informal Russia-NATO Council Meeting

Foreign Minister Lavrov: At today's traditional informal meeting of the Russia-NATO Council (RNC) at the level of Foreign Ministers, an exchange of views took place on what has been done in the five years since the establishment of the Council, what joint tasks are now before it and how to tackle them better.
There was an exchange of views on a number of pressing international and regional issues. The major result of the meeting was the approval of a document on priorities in Russia-NATO relations. It sums up our activity since the Rome Declaration and contains a set of recommendations for enhancing the quality of our engagement in such matters as the realization of the RNC comprehensive plan of action to fight international terrorism. In this context possibilities will be elaborated to arrange an operational exchange of information and experience, to hold training and practice exercises of antiterrorist units, to protect infrastructure facilities and to counter hyperterrorism.

Measures are also envisaged to promote engagement on the issues of ensuring the operational compatibility of military contingents and of antimissile defense systems and air traffic control, and strengthening the capabilities for responding to terrorist acts and emergencies, including natural and technogenic disasters. Cooperation in the field of military and technical ties and defense research is provided for.
We are satisfied with these accords. They show that we have many possibilities to deepen our partnership in combating the real threats that today exist and which are common to the members, Russia and NATO.
We want the RNC to make a real contribution to ensuring stability and predictability in Russian relations with the countries of the alliance. This is important in the context of the further transformation of the alliance, which is now being actively discussed in NATO. We are not members of the alliance, but we cannot help but wonder, of course, in just what direction goes the process of the transformation of this organization, because it will exert an influence on the European and global security architecture. We hope that the transformation of NATO will correspond to the philosophy of cooperation in the RNC. In this connection we attach paramount importance to the observance of the rules of international law and respect of the prerogatives of the Security Council of the United Nations. This is the cornerstone of cooperation in the Russia-NATO Council, which applies to possible joint operations too.

For our part, we touched on themes which still cause questions among us. One, in particular, is the reconfiguration of the US military presence in Europe, including the recent decision to station military bases in Romania and Bulgaria. We presume that in making the relevant final decisions the alliance's political and legal obligations for military restraint will be observed and the lawful interests and concerns of Russia taken into account.

We expressed to our colleagues anxiety and concern over the situation that has evolved around the ratification of the adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. At the CFE Review Conference to be held this May, there will certainly take place a serious discussion about its further destiny.
We reaffirmed our position on NATO enlargement. We are convinced that there are all possibilities today to safeguard national security and take part in international efforts to overcome crises and threats without joining military alliances, through developing a partnership on an open, not closed basis.
Productive, in my opinion, was the discussion on the Afghan threat of drugs. We are worried by the growing link between drug trafficking and terrorism. In the summer we start the practical realization of a joint pilot project with NATO to train personnel for antiterrorist structures of Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia. The project fits in with the efforts we have been making on a multilateral basis within the framework of other organizations. We expect that this will help actively realize the potential of the respective countries in the fight against the narco-threat.

In relation to Afghanistan we reminded the partners of our proposal to arrange joint work between NATO and the Collective Security Treaty Organization on countering the drug traffic from Afghanistan. There are real possibilities here. In particular, we reiterated the invitation to the NATO countries to take part in the CSTO's annual Operation Channel or send observers.

As I have already said, we exchanged views on pressing international issues: the Balkans, the Middle East, the situation in Iraq and around the nuclear program of Iran.

In response to the concerns voiced by our partners over the situation in Belarus we explained our line that any questions that arise regarding another country should be tackled through involvement, through dialogue rather than isolation. Unfortunately, attempts to choose isolation as a means for dealing with problems are being made ever more often and, as experience shows, do not lead to anything good.
Question: You have just said in relation to the US military bases in Bulgaria that the concerns of Russia have to be taken into account. What are they?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: In the first place, I said that there should be observed the international legal agreements that exist between us and NATO. Among them: an obligation to show restraint and not station any substantial combat forces on the territories of the new members of NATO. My Bulgarian and Romanian interlocutors, and the US representative at the RNC meeting gave an assurance that such will be the case and that these obligations will be abided by. We would like in this connection together with our NATO partners to clarify the notion "substantial combat forces." We raised this question before them.
Question: I would like to ask a question about Iran. We are now entering a new phase when the report of Mohamed ElBaradei is being presented. Russia has always been saying that the IAEA must tackle the question of the Iranian nuclear program. How will you feel about a UNSC resolution if it is adopted on the basis of Chapter VII?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: It is necessary to provide possibilities for the work of the IAEA in Iran. Only through the efforts of the Agency's professional inspectors can we achieve compliance with the nuclear nonproliferation regime. It is gratifying that the Security Council a month ago, adopting its statement on Iran, backed up the efforts and role of the IAEA in ensuring the nonproliferation regime. We consider that all our subsequent steps must so be arranged as not to undermine the possibilities for the IAEA to continue work in Iran. The report which must today be published by IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei will be delivered both to the IAEA Board of Governors and to the UN Security Council. We shall commensurate our approaches to possible actions by the international community with our principled stand: the most important thing is to prevent threats to the nonproliferation regime and arrange work in such a way that the right of all the NPT members acting in good faith to peaceful development of the nuclear power industry is respected. Ours are identical aims. In the near future additional contacts between the European trio, Russia, the USA and China will take place, during which the situation around the Iranian nuclear program will be discussed in the light of the latest report of the IAEA Director General.

Question: It is known that you discussed the situation in Kosovo today. Are there many differences on it?
Foreign Minister Lavrov: Taking the position which has been officially agreed upon in the Contact Group, there are no such differences. The Contact Group has approved the guiding principles that envisage the necessity of a negotiated decision acceptable to both sides and which envisage multivariant final solutions. We are entirely for that. We also support with both hands the other provisions of the guiding principles, which concentrate on the need for the Pristina leadership to ensure, at last, the implementation of the standards established by the UN Security Council and concerning, above all, the necessity to create conditions of life in Kosovo which would ensure security and the freedom of movement for minorities and guarantee the possibility of a return of refugees and displaced persons and generally would create conditions for the minorities in Kosovo to receive a right to normal self-government.

As to the differences, they lie outside the guiding principles that were agreed upon in the Contact Group and concern separate, individual actions of certain members of the Contact Group. We do not agree with these actions, because those members would have us all, including the Serbs, believe that there is no alternative to independence for Kosovo. This is a quite dangerous path. It may lead to very undesirable consequences not only in the region, but also create a precedent for other conflict situations.

Question: The US has called for stopping arms sales to Iran in order to lean on the Islamic Republic. Will Russia accept such a stance? As regards the problem of Iran - will Moscow continue to cooperate with it?
Foreign Minister Lavrov: Be it a military-technical, nuclear or any other sphere, this depends on the international regimes which exist in the respective fields. There are no bans on activities connected with supplies of conventional arms to Iran or on peaceful nuclear cooperation with Iran which is being effected under the full control of the IAEA. These bans are not imposed upon the call of this or that political figure, but following a decision of the UN Security Council. The Security Council has adopted no such decisions.

Question: You said you're disappointed in the plans for NATO enlargement. What can you say in relation to the enlargement and strengthening of the partnership outside the alliance, notably in Asia? Does Russia have any concerns on that score?

Foreign Minister Lavrov: We cannot dictate how this or that country should act and in what ways ensure its security. Such is our principled stand. But security in the contemporary world is so indivisible that any changes in the security architecture are bound to affect a large number of countries. Russia with its geographic and geopolitical position is, of course, interested in seeing processes occur along the perimeter of our borders and in the regions close to our borders that are understandable to us.

As to the NATO partnership with Asian countries, this theme is now being discussed in the context of the compilation of a hierarchy of partnerships. Among others certain Asian countries are mentioned that participate in NATO operations, but have no special status in the alliance. I think that, first of all, this concerns NATO affairs, the spheres of the organization's cooperation with the respective countries. We are for these process to develop transparently so that we at least understand what is happening and that no threats are being created to our security interests. It was in this vein that I today discussed this theme with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. He assured me that our approaches do not contradict what the alliance is planning to do. He promised to ensure the appropriate transparency.

April 28, 2006