BRUSSELS. Jan 16 (Interfax) - Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who was until recently Russia's permanent envoy to NATO, argued on Friday that there remains room for seeking a solution to the argument between Russia and NATO on the latter's planned European missile defense, a chiefly American project.
"We will do everything possible to use up all the resources and chances of reaching an agreement," Rogozin said in answering a question from Interfax at a news conference in Brussels.
He said that, by decision of President Dmitry Medvedev, he remains Russia's chief negotiator with the North Atlantic alliance on the European missile defense issue.
"I will definitely work on this matter by overseeing negotiations between Russia and the United States and between Russia and NATO," the deputy premier said.
"We hope that, after the political debates that are a concomitant of elections in the United States, the 'old new' U.S. administration will have more resources and a broader political framework to give such a partner-like response to Russia. But as the person in government who is responsible for defense policy, I will undoubtedly make efforts to enable the Russian Federation to give an appropriate technical response if the missile defense targets our supreme national interests, a response that would mean that the money that has been put into the American missile defense had effectively been tossed to the wind," he said.
Russia has "all it needs to completely nullify the effect of any act that represents an attempt to 'undress' [its] strategic potential," Rogozin said.
"But that would call for some money and certain difficult impulses in our relations. Therefore, we believe that, if the purpose of the missile defense is to make Europe more secure, it is only achievable jointly with Russia, only if Russian interests are taken into account, only if Russia's unique geographical, economic, scientific and technological resources are integrated into this common project. If, on the other hand, this project runs against Russian interests, it will produce no results, it will offer no opportunities, because we will do everything possible to prevent that system from working against our interests," he said.
"Unfortunately, our relations would get worse as a side effect," he added. "Therefore I say this in a straightforward way as someone who wants good relations with the West. I believe that honesty is extremely important in this issue. And we will do everything possible to use up all the resources and chances of reaching an agreement."