Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Alexander Grushko, said that Moscow does not rule out the possibility of NATO's involvement in the conflict in the Middle East if Washington needs to "legitimize" its actions, according to the German News Agency.

Grushko added in a statement to the “Novosti” agency on the sidelines of the Eurasian Economic Forum conference at its 16th session in Samarkand (Uzbekistan), broadcast today (Saturday): “NATO is not currently considered the player that wants to come to the fore in this issue. “Most likely, the NATO factor may emerge there if the United States needs to legitimize its actions or position in that region.”

According to the Deputy Minister, there are currently no contacts between Russia and NATO at all, including on the conflict in the Middle East.

Grushko stressed that Moscow “clearly sees that NATO’s intention is to globalize the alliance and expand the scope of application of the Washington Treaty on the ground.”

He said: “NATO has long been formulating plans for interaction with partners in the Middle East, but many forms of such cooperation are de facto suspended due to contradictions between Israel and the Arab world. Of course, at this stage, most likely, attempts will be made to revive all this and try to somehow strengthen the position of the Alliance in the region, already relying on the strongholds created in many countries.

Grushko continued: “But the main Western factor in the Middle East is the United States. The United States acts when it matters, and never asks permission from its allies. For example, the war in Iraq – two NATO countries were categorically opposed to US operations there. But when Washington needs to legitimize its actions, we see it trying to gather the largest number of countries to support it in doing so.

The forum brings together business representatives, diplomats, heads of Russian and Italian commercial and public institutions and key public figures on one platform.

The forum is traditionally organized by the Russian RosCongress Foundation, the Petersburg International Economic Forum, and the Italian non-profit “We Know Eurasia” Foundation.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat