Moscow: Russia said that Monday suspended his mission to NATO and closed the alliance office in Moscow, because the relationship with Western military blocks fell to a new depth.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the movement after NATO drove several members of the Moscow delegation to the alliance for alleged spying.
“Following certain steps taken by NATO, the basic conditions for public work no longer exist,” said Lavrov to reporters in Moscow.
Moscow suspended his official mission work to NATO in Brussels, including his military representative, from around 1 November, he added.
Russia also turned off the connecting mission of the Alliance at the Belgian Embassy in Moscow, founded in 2002, and the NATO Information Office was founded in 2001 to enhance the understanding between NATO and Russia.
“NATO has greatly reduced his contacts with our mission,” said Lavrov, added that the alliance was “not interested in dialogue and cooperating with”.
“We see no reason to pretend that every change is possible in the future.” Lavrov said that in the case of urgent things NATO could relate through the Russian ambassador in Belgium.
NATO spokesman Oana Lungescu said the Alliance regretted Russian’s decision.
“The NATO policy of Russia remains consistent,” he added.
“We have strengthened our prevention and defense in response to Russian aggressive actions, while at the same time we remain open for dialogue, including through the NATO-Russian council.” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas described the announcement as “more than regrettable” and said he would extend “ice-cold relations” between Russia and NATO.
“We are ready to dialogue, but must realize that this is no longer a case with Moscow,” Maas told journalists in Luxembourg.
Movement cuts for years to improve the relationship between Russia and NATO who follow the collapse of the 1991 Soviet Union.
They came after NATO earlier this month took off eight members of the Russian mission for their accreditation alliances.
NATO General Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called them “Unclared Russian Intelligence Officers”.
“We have seen an increase in Russian evil activities, at least in Europe and therefore we need to act,” said Stoltenberg at the time, described the relationship between NATO and Russia as “at the lowest point since the end of the Cold War”.
Russia has observer missions for NATO as part of the old NATO-Russian Council two decades intended to promote cooperation in public security areas.
The Russian mission was seized earlier, when seven members were issued after the 198 novichok poison in England from former Russian double agent, Sergei scriptal, and his daughter.
The Russian NATO council meeting has not been held since 2019 against the background of increased tension.
Russian relations with the West have been in the spiral to the bottom since Annexation of Crimea 2014 Moscow from Ukraine and support for pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.
Western countries have imposed a series of sanctions in the past few years in Ukraine, alleged election interference, cyberattack and poisoning Cremin Cremin Alexei Navalny.
Moscow in turn accused the West disrupting his election and supporting anti-kremlin forces in countries such as Ukraine and Georgia, which Russia considers part of the traditional environment of its influence.
Lavrov’s announcement came after US defense secretary Lloyd Austin landed in the capital of Georgia Tbilisi on the first visit to three allies in the Black Sea – Georgia, Ukraine and Romania – aiming to give a message about threats from Russia.
NATO Defense Minister, including Austin, will be in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for a series of meetings.