MOSCOW, October 29 (HS/RIA Novosti) - NATO is seeking an external adversary to justify its own existence, while any expansion of the alliance only serves to undermine its security, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told RIA Novosti.

There have been numerous discussions and statements that make it perfectly clear: we were given guarantees that NATO would not expand eastward. But later, they realized that a NATO that does not expand loses the very reason for its existence, after all, who would it be defending itself against? That is why the decision to expand was made, it is a search for an adversary, Grushko said.

The diplomat noted that the criteria for NATO expansion state, first and foremost, that any such expansion should strengthen the alliance's security.

In reality, however, any expansion only weakens the alliance's security. Yet, that is precisely why they do it, so that they can later cry out that they need to defend themselves, Grushko said.

He added that countries joining the alliance undergo a sharp shift in their approach to security policy.

Whereas previously they might have advocated for finding collective solutions to ensure security, they begin to say: ‘We are frontline states; a threat looms over us’ and that's it, he said.

This is done in a completely deliberate manner, the diplomat added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Indrani Sarkar