Maria Zakharova on the hypocrisy of NATO and the tragedy of Assange

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry recalled Russia's distrust of the statements of NATO countries. She also commented on the situation surrounding the extradition to the United States of Julian Assange and called the methods of Western countries "real cannibalism."

Answering a question from a journalist for The Moscow Post at today's briefing, Maria Zakharova spoke about the "predictability" of the United States, which in recent years has been mentioned only with a minus sign.

- The country in its current form, starting from the withdrawal from the ABM treaty and further from the deal with Iran, proved to be unfinished. How in these conditions can you count on guarantees for the non-expansion of NATO? - asked the journalist of The Moscow Post.

The diplomat noted that the question was asked on time, since the other day the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Stoltenberg said that Russia's proposals for a moratorium on the deployment of medium and short-range missiles in Europe "are not credible." At the same time, Zakharova recalled that it was Mr. Stoltenberg's statements that could not be trusted.

Assange, through his life and deed, defended the very values ​ ​ that some politicians mention only in statements. The actions of recent years are real cannibalism

- Didn't representatives of NATO countries promise Russia not to expand the alliance to the east? Did they assure that the plans to deploy American missile defense systems in Poland and Romania were aimed exclusively at stopping threats from Iran? - asked the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Earlier, Russia, as Zakharova recalled, suggested that NATO act on the principle of reciprocity. Our country asked to provide for the possibility of inspecting American missile defense facilities in Poland and Romania and in response was ready to provide organizations for verification missile objects located on the territory of the European part of the Russian Federation in order to remove all questions about where they were directed and against whom. But NATO was not ready for this kind of reciprocity.

- The words that we hear from NATO countries cannot be believed, because they are not supported by deeds. We sent our proposals, now we will focus on a specific practical reaction, "Maria Zakharova summed up.

The second question of the journalist MR concerned the situation around the court decision in the UK on the extradition of the founder of the site WikiLeaks Julian Assange to the United States.

- Does the Russian Foreign Ministry consider the reaction of foreign media and Western authorities to be a manifestation of double standards, taking into account the close attention paid to scandals with journalists in the Russian Federation? - asked the journalist of The Moscow Post.

Maria Zakharova recalled the data provided by international experts, which indicate not only harassment but, in fact, torture of a public figure and journalist. Assange, according to the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is an embodiment of his commitment to the principles of freedom of speech and thought, as well as truths that are fundamental to international relations.

- He, through his life and deed, defended the very values that some politicians mention only in statements. The actions of recent years are real cannibalism, manifested by our Western partners. We are not even talking about double standards, not even about flouting lofty principles and ideals - this is the destruction of a person, revenge on him for his position, courage and the fact that he considered it necessary to share with the world the most important information that shed light on lies and deception of a number of states, "the diplomat emphasized.

This lie was not "political-theoretical." Indeed, on the basis of false allegations, Western countries conducted interventions and aggression against other states, which killed civilians, tens and hundreds of thousands of people.

Maria Zakharova recalled that a number of non-governmental organizations from different countries pointed out inconsistencies in the legal basis of the Assange case - because the United States, in fact, does not guarantee the non-application of inhuman measures to public figures, if extradition takes place.

The diplomat recalled that the countries of G7 during the years of criminal prosecution of Assange have never made official statements and demands because of what is happening around the founder of the site WikiLeaks.

- After all, the persons involved in this inhuman attitude are those who today in the "seven" sets the tone - the USA and Great Britain, - said Maria Zakharova and offered to remember how Assange was during his imprisonment at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and how he became now - these are two different people.

- See what he was brought to! We are talking about the real harassment that the light of democracy organized. If persecution is part of the mentality of Western civilization, then everything else is crossed out automatically. And there can be no other reading of the situation, "summed up the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.