By Nikolaus von Twickel
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| Foreign Minister Lavrov summing up the past year to reporters Thursday. |
A key ingredient to improving relations with the West will be the creation of a common European missile shield with NATO, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, further raising the stakes in the reset of Russian-U.S. relations.
A unique chance of a finally putting aside the Cold War legacy will be missed if there is no "honest and frank" dialogue with NATO, Lavrov told reporters at his annual news conference.
Officials with the U.S.-led defense alliance and President Dmitry Medvedev agreed at a summit in Lisbon last November to develop a joint defense system to protect Europe from missile attacks from countries such as Iran.
Analysts have warned that negotiations about the shield will be difficult because of Moscow's insistence on equal participation in the shield's command and control systems. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned that if Moscow's proposals on the system are not met, Russia is ready to begin a new arms race.
The next round of talks is slanted for Jan. 26 at the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels.