In an interview with the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, Mr. Lavrov said that that officials in Russia did not see "the alliance's expansion as an obstacle to prevent them from stepping up cooperation, primarily within the framework of the Russia-NATO Council, and from advancing toward a truly collective model of European security."
The minister pointed out that both Russia and NATO were aware that neither of them posed a threat to the other. "We will be doing our best to make our relations with the alliance develop on equal footing and in a positive, mutually beneficial vein," he said. "But of course, we expect NATO to be mindful of Russia's legitimate security interests," he added.
At the same time the diplomat said, however, that Russia remains unconvinced as to the feasibility of NATO's expansion to the east. "We still believe that the expansion of the alliance does not respond to any of the actual challenges facing the world community today. That's the inertia of old approaches," stressed Mr. Lavrov.
