Russia will not decide who should be a NATO member and who should not. This should be a decision of the North Atlantic Alliance and candidate countries, such as Ukraine. Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland Marcin Przydacz stated this on the air of TVP1, - Ukrinform reports.
"I think that this will not be the subject of any in-depth discussion: it will not be Russia which will decide who NATO will accept into its ranks. Article 10 of the NATO Treaty deals with the possibility of expanding the Alliance, and this will be decided by the NATO countries and a country that would be a candidate, that is, for example, Ukraine, and no other country", - Przydacz, who is in charge of Eastern policy at the ministry, stated.
In his opinion, Russia should not resolve such an issue.
"If Russia could have solved this, then Poland probably would not have joined NATO in 1999", - the deputy head of the Polish Foreign Ministry stressed.
According to him, if Russia wants to dispute with NATO, this is good, because Moscow has not wanted to negotiate with the Alliance for the past two years.
"If Russia wants to dispute about Eastern Europe, then there is space for discussion. It is possible to talk about the Donbas, Minsk agreements, Crimea, Russia's destabilizing actions in the South Caucasus, in particular, in the context of Georgia. There are a number of topics that can be raised with Russia within diplomatic framework and keep the peace", - Przydacz stressed.
He is convinced that Moscow needs to send tough signals, including strengthening the eastern flank of NATO.
"If there is an opportunity to defend the world without a policy of appeasement (of the aggressor - ed.) and without retreating, then this opportunity should be used. Instead, one should remember that on the other hand, the actor is aggressive and will want to pursue an aggressive policy", - the Polish diplomat emphasized.
As previously reported, the meeting of the NATO-Russia Council, which has not met for more than two years, may take place on January 12. Moscow has not yet conclusively confirmed this date for the talks.