LISBON. Nov 26 (Interfax) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has described remarks made by Chief of the General Staff of the UK Armed Forces Gen, Mark Carleton-Smith, who said Russia today represents a "far greater threat" to his country's national security than the Islamic State (ISIL) terrorist group (banned in Russia), as an "uncreative demonstration of intellectual qualities."
"We cannot ban anyone from demonstrating their intellectual and political qualities. I have heard this statement. I have also heard numerous remarks of this sort made by the secretary of defense of the United Kingdom as well," Lavrov said at a press conference in Lisbon on Saturday.
"We cannot influence the British government's decisions as to who they trust to head its Armed Forces. I hope they check the appropriateness of such decisions," Lavrov said.
The chief of the UK General Staff was not the first to make such remarks, Lavrov said, referring to similar statements previously made by former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Carleton-Smith told The Telegraph in an interview that "Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as al-Qaida [banned in Russia] and ISIL."
"Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare," he said.
"We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested," Carleton-Smith said.
The most rational response to the Russian threats is "the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance," he said.