MOSCOW. Feb 17 (Interfax) - It is impossible to develop durable arms control and military risk reduction measures if NATO does not stop activities causing damage to Russia's security, the Russian written reply to the United States concerning proposals on security guarantees says.
"At the same time, we yet again point it out to the American side that, in the documents on security guarantees we have presented, Russia proposes following a path toward a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the unacceptable situation that is persisting in the Euro-Atlantic area. This concerns primarily the construction of a stable foundation of security architecture in the form of an agreement under which NATO would stop activities causing damage to Russia's security. This remains an invariable imperative for us," the document circulated on Thursday and translated from Russian by Interfax says.
"In the absence of such a firm basis, the interrelated arms control and military risk reduction measures guaranteeing moderate and predictable military activities on certain tracks will not be durable and lasting, even if some compromise is achieved on them," the document says.
The Russian proposals must be analyzed as a package, without separating any of its elements, it says.
"In this context, we would like to highlight the absence of a constructive response from Washington and Brussels to the crucial elements of Russia's initiative that we have clearly outlined. As concerns arms control matters, we view them exclusively in the general context of a comprehensive and package approach toward settling the problem of security guarantees," it says.