Macron should not ‘fantasize’ about Russian threat of war against West: Zakharova

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Wednesday that French President Emmanuel Macron should not "fantasize" about a Russian threat of war against the West, reacting to comments he made during an official visit to Sweden in late January.

“From whom Macron is going to protect the members of the EU, especially by using nuclear weapons, this is, of course, a good question…If by potential aggressor we mean our country, then we need to formulate it that way. Then we are talking once again about baseless fantasies on the topic of a mythical Russian threat to the EU and NATO, which exist only in the fevered imaginations of Western politicians,” Maria Zakharova told Anadolu during a press briefing in Moscow.

Saying that France has so far distanced itself from participating in NATO’s joint nuclear missions despite supporting its rhetoric of being a nuclear alliance, Zakharova said it possesses a “special role” that distinguishes itself from other countries due to being a nuclear power.

She said Macron’s rhetoric only leads to a “further increase in mistrust and the accumulation of conflict potential” in Europe, adding that France is “confidently moving” towards its goals if it is seeking to increase tensions in the continent through its policy toward Ukraine.

“Are they really ready in Paris to take responsibility for those unreasonable European allies who dream of an escalation of the situation in Europe and a war with Russia?” she added.

Zakharova also addressed recent remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Russia cannot be Yerevan's key partner in the defense and military-technical spheres, saying the two countries remain allies.

"The interests of the Armenian people are inseparable from good neighborly ties with Russia. We hope that the Armenian leadership will take this into account and, against the backdrop of the current geopolitical transformations, will make the right choice," she said.

She said Russia and Armenia have a reliable bilateral legal framework in the field of security and in terms of military-technical cooperation and the two countries have obligations to each other, including with regards to the protection of sovereignty, territorial integrity and security.

Zakharova also said Armenia is under collective guarantees within the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the event of "possible aggression."

"We are convinced that, unlike the pseudo-observers of the EU mission (in Armenia), which deal with issues that are far from the stated goals, the CSTO is capable of playing a stabilizing role in the South Caucasus," she added.