The Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between Russia and NATO is not working properly; it is important to update it or work out new mechanisms to ensure a common European security on its basis. Unal Cevikoz, a member of Grand National Assembly of Turkey and a member of the parliamentary committee on foreign policy and the committee on relations with the European Union, said this on Wednesday at the "Primakov Readings" forum.
"I participated in the drafting of the [founding] act of relations between Russia and NATO, and I feel great regret that it is not functioning properly. It was supposed to be a very important mechanism of shared responsibility aimed at the sustainability of the European security architecture. But unfortunately, it failed, and that's something that needs to be repaired," he said.
He stressed that it will be difficult to restore trust after the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, but "this does not mean that we have to give up." "We need to renew existing mechanisms or create some new ones based on them," he continued. - [It is more appropriate to implement this] instead of creating dividing walls between groups of countries that have an important role to play in European security."
In the context of bilateral relations between Russia and Turkey, Cevikoz expressed his belief that "both countries will be bridges between the West and the East" in the new world order. "Russia and Turkey can interact most effectively in the Caucasus, in Central Asia," he continued. - "In all these geographical regions, as well as in the Middle East, Turkey will play a very important role. And the prospects for interaction between Turkey and Russia will prevail in these regions."
"We need to strengthen multilateralism," he concluded.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organiza/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS