Publish Date: 13 April 2023 - 19:00

TEHRAN, Apr. 13 (MNA) – The Black Sea will never become ‘a NATO sea’ and must remain a sea of cooperation and interaction for all coastal states, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Commenting on Kiev’s idea of demilitarizing the Black Sea and simultaneously turning it into a ‘NATO sea,’ the Russian presidential spokesman said, "The Black Sea will never be a ‘NATO sea,’ this is a common sea", TASS reported. 

For all the littoral states, the Black Sea must be a sea of cooperation, interaction and security, Peskov stressed.

"Moreover, this must be indivisible security," he added.

As the Kremlin press secretary pointed out, "the statement itself [on the ‘NATO sea’] is based on two contradictions." "NATO and demilitarization are two incompatible notions," he said.

SKH/PR