{UAH} RUSSIA IS BACK WHETHER EU LIKES IT OR NOT

Russia is back on international scene, whether EU likes it or not - Spanish FM

July 15, 14:20 UTC+3 MADRID

Josep Borrell added that the international situation is "more unstable that it seems"

Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell

© AP Photo/Francisco Seco

MADRID, July 15. /TASS/. Russia is back on the international scene, whether the West likes it or not, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell stated in an interview with the El Pais newspaper.

"Whether we like it or not, Russia is back. [Russian President] Vladimir Putin is hugely popular, because he represents a return to the international scene for a country that was looked down on [earlier], a country that used to be a great superpower," the minister said. "And yes, they have nuclear weapons." According to Borrell, "there is a common European position on Russia, and Spain will not take a tougher stance." "However, it doesn’t mean that we should forget about the issues that Russia creates for our allies and partners," the Spanish top diplomat added.

"Unfortunately, the Schengen zone starts to disappear," the diplomat noted. "France, Germany and Italy have introduced border control because of the migration crisis." Borrell thinks that the issue of migration is one of the most crucial for the EU. "This may lead to a more serious crisis than the Euro currency one," the foreign minister stressed. "The economic crisis can be regulated with financial resources and by introducing institutional changes, however, the migration issue is deeper: it affects values, national identity, cultures."

Commenting upon the international situation, Borrell stated that it is "more unstable that it seems". "Today’s world is more dangerous than ever from the viewpoint of nuclear and chemical weapons proliferation," the minister thinks. According to him, "it is untrue that the USA spend the astronomical figures that they cite on Europe’s defense: they spend $600 bln a year on defense, Europe constitutes about $30 bln.".

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French top diplomat reassures Russia that NATO not its enemy

World

July 13, 10:40 UTC+3 PARIS

NATO wants to maintain dialogue with Russia, the French top diplomat says

French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian

© EPA-EFE/CHRISTIAN BRUNA

PARIS, July 13. /TASS/. NATO is not an enemy of Russia, and its members want to maintain dialogue with the Russian Federation, French Foreign Minister Jean Yves Le Drian informed on Friday, commenting on the outcomes of the NATO summit in Brussels.

"NATO is not an enemy of Russia, we need to maintain dialogue," the minister said during an interview with the BFM TV channel. "Although our views on several issues differ, the alliance maintains a firm dialogue with Russia," he added, mentioning the Crimea situation and the differences in the countries’ views on the control of chemical weapons use.

According to Le Drian, "the NATO summit has been successful." "The final declaration has been signed by all 29 members of the alliance, including the US," the French minister noted. He stated that NATO "has contributed to maintaining peace for almost 70 years." "During the summit, we agreed on our program for the next two years," Le Drian added.

He called the alliance "an instrument of collective defense" , which "protects the countries from numerous risks and threats." Le Drian reminded that "Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty on collective defense has only been used once in history, in order to support the United States, when they asked for it after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, which allowed us to begin the operation in Afghanistan," the minister noted. "Yesterday, we reminded US President Donald Trump about that," Le Drian said

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NATO chief says Crimea issue not excuse for Russia’s isolation

World

July 11, 16:35 UTC+3 BRUSSELS

Russia is our neighbor, Stoltenberg reiterated

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

© AP Photo/Francois Mori

BRUSSELS, July 11. /TASS/. Crimea’s reunification with Russia and other problems in relations between NATO and Russia are not an argument in favor of isolating Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

"We do not accept the illegal annexation of Crimea, we do not accept cyber propaganda, interference in domestic political processes. We have seen that in Salisbury. <…> We have seen many examples. We do not accept that, but for me that’s not an argument in favor of isolating Russia or stopping talking to Russia," he said at the NATO Engages expert forum in Brussels.

"Russia is our neighbor, Russia is not going to go away, and we need to talk to Russia," Stoltenberg added.

The NATO secretary-general earlier stressed on numerous occasions that even if there is no improvement in relations between NATO and Russia, contacts with Moscow are necessary to prevent relations from deteriorating any further.

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