Russia's foreign minister said Moscow hoped the United States would listen to its appeal against Washington's plans to deploy a missile shield in Central Europe and the Caucasus.
The U.S. said in January it would place elements of its missile defense system in the Czech Republic and Poland to counter possible attacks from Iran or North Korea. Moscow has strongly criticized the move, saying it threatened Russia's security.
"We have specific proposals on how to ensure security in the region," Sergei Lavrov told Russian lawmakers. "Deploying the missile shield to cover the Caucasus, Ukraine and other countries bordering on Russia contradicts Russia's approach to security."
Washington also said March 1 that it would place other elements of its missile defense in the South Caucasus but did not specify which of the three former Soviet countries it would choose - Armenia, Azerbaijan or Georgia, with the latter being anxious to join NATO.
Lavrov called for a collective discussion of the issue, and accused the U.S. of using a Cold War approach by uniting other countries against the common "Soviet threat".
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