Lord Cormack
Main Page: Lord Cormack (Conservative - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Cormack's debates with the Leader of the House
(2 years, 10 months ago)
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Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)
I am afraid I do not agree with the noble Lord. NATO does not pose an aggressive threat to Russia.
Lord Cormack (Con)
My Lords, the Prime Minister’s Statement ends with some important words:
“I believe that all Russia’s fears could yet be allayed and we could find a path to mutual security through patient and principled diplomacy.”
That is the way. I do not associate myself with all the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, but one has to remember that 26 million Russians were killed in the last war. One has to remember that many Russians have folk memories and folk fears, and it is therefore very important that patient diplomacy, showing, as the Prime Minister says, that we understand those fears, provides the only real, sensible way forward.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)
Certainly, I agree. In fact, NATO stands absolutely ready to engage in constructive dialogue with Russia to discuss mutual security concerns and has invited Russia to further sessions of the NATO-Russia council—it had its first meeting in two years recently—to discuss arms control, risk reduction and transparency measures.