Cyprus News Agency

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled that NATO was established on April 4, 1949, with the Washington Treaty signed by 12 countries. The statement said: “This ‘defensive alliance’ has continuously expanded since its founding. Over time, it accepted 20 new member states, seven of which joined after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.”

The statement emphasized that NATO’s military interventions led to civilian casualties and regional instability. “NATO’s interventions in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine and other regions had devastating consequences,” it said.

Russia’s efforts to develop relations with NATO were also detailed: in 1954, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov proposed exploring Soviet membership in NATO, but the West rejected the offer. In 1994, Russia joined NATO’s “Partnership for Peace” program, and in 1997, under Yevgeny Primakov, the NATO-Russia Founding Act was signed and the NATO-Russia Council was established.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also stated: “Perhaps we should also join NATO? But no, NATO did not need a country like ours.” The statement added that NATO today is “a tool used to forcibly advance the interests of the ‘golden billion’” and that the alliance’s expansion policies are shaped by Western geopolitical interests.