Kozyrev said Russia did not reject the concept of NATO's Partnership for Peace but was not prepared to sign a communique drawn up by alliance members at a December meeting in Brussels without any input from Moscow.
"We came there to sign the Partnership for Peace, a program for Russia and NATO," Kozyrev said in the news magazine New Times. "It had been agreed, but the communique was not agreed with us."
Kozyrev said the communique was a compromise worked out among the 16 NATO members and "not between the 16 and Russia."
Kozyrev said the communique issued by the alliance altered the original concept of Partnership for Peace.
Partnership for Peace was inaugurated a year ago as a way of drawing former Warsaw Pact adversaries closer, but without granting them full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Russia stunned the Dec. 2 gathering of NATO members in Brussels by refusing to endorse the plan.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.