ArmInfo. Russian Embassy to Armenia has responded to the statement made by US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills in the Yerevan State University within "NATO Days".
"On November 18 Armenian mass media published certain statements made by US Ambassador in Armenia Richard Mills in Yerevan State University within NATO Days. According to the local information agencies in his speech he stated that 'in 2014 when the Alliance celebrated its 65th anniversary and it seemed that it was the time for the structure "to retire" Russia annexed Crimea and NATO has faced new challenges and threats'. The Embassy fully supports the US Ambassador's statement about the necessity to pension off the North Atlantic Treaty. This should have been done much earlier when Warsaw Pact was liquidated, which according to our Western counterparts posed threat for them and was the main reason for NATO's existence.
As for "annexation of Crimea by Russia" we should recall that Crimea's entrance into the Russian Federation took place based on direct expression of will of its population during the referendum held on March 16, 2014 in Crimea. We are surprised with the reaction of the Western states and first of all the USA and EU on the legal exercise of right on self-determination set forth in the UN Charter. We also attracted our attention on the words in Mr. Mills' speech that 'each country should itself make decisions on the development and security issues'. Russia has followed exactly this principle in its foreign policy. It is very pleasant bur strange at the same time to hear such a statement from the representative of the country that is ready to interfere in domestic affairs of any other countries, also by using military force.
Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya and Syria, as well as various 'color revolutions" and their destroying consequences can be brought as example, as the originators of them were funds, NGOs and mass media directly supported and funded by the USA", the statement by the Russian Embassy to Armenia received by ArmInfo reads.
To recall, US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills stated in the Yerevan State University within 'NATO Days'' on November 18 that Armenia is the only state, which participates in NATO Partnership for Peace program and cooperates with CSTO at the same time. At the same time he recalled that in 2014 when the Alliance celebrated its 65th anniversary and it seemed that it was the time for the structure "to retire" Russia annexed Crimea. NATO has faced new challenges and threats. US President Barack Obama was stressing the inadmissibility of forced annexation of territories in nowadays world. Each country should make decisions itself on the issues of development and ensuring security, Mills summarized.