Russia blames NATO of cold war mentality

, April 9: Moscow on Tuesday accused the

of bearing "cold war" mentality over the latter's decision to limit the access of Russian diplomats to its headquarters.

"We noted that information about the move was posted on the main page of NATO's official website. It looks like access by Russian diplomats to the NATO office is the North Atlantic alliance's number one problem," Xinhua quoted the Russian foreign ministry as saying in a statement.

Russia criticised NATO's limiting access of its diplomats to its headquarters

The NATO said Monday all representatives of the Russian mission, except its head, the deputy head and two support staff, would be denied access to the military bloc's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Moreover, other Russian diplomats would have to notify the NATO about their planned visits in advance, register upon arrival and be escorted by security staff throughout the visit.

Moscow said such restrictive measures "confirm once again that the alliance is not capable of overcoming the 'cold war' mentality and prefers the language of sanctions over dialogue."

Ties between Russia and the NATO have strained following a string of incidents in Ukraine which have led to that country's split.

Last week, the NATO decided to suspend all practical cooperation with Russia, while Moscow slammed the move as a "lose- lose decision."

IANS