Not Taking Stoltenberg's Statement Seriously, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: NATO Secretary General Or Banker, I'm Still Confused

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. (Wikimedia Commons/DIP Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation/photographer Nikita Kochuk)

JAKARTA - Moscow will no longer take seriously any statements from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who was appointed as head of Norway's central bank, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press conference on Wednesday.

She made the comments in response to Stoltenberg's statement that NATO's door would remain open for Ukraine.

"The statements made by Stoltenberg, who is secretary-general of NATO, or a banker, I am still confused about, no longer interest us," she said, as reported by TASS February 17.

"He is not someone whose statements will be taken in Moscow as a serious argument. He was once a member of NATO," Zakharova added.

Nonetheless, Diplomat Zakharova said she hoped constructive talks with the US and NATO on security guarantees would continue.

"These issues require deep and substantive conversations. Or it will be like what happened between us and the British Foreign Secretary in Moscow, conversations between the mute and the deaf," she explained.

"We want both sides to listen to each other, rather than lecturing each other or making empty breathless statements, rather than out of respect for each other's concerns," she stressed.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. (Wikimedia Commons/Magnus Fröderberg)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed his disappointment at a press conference during British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss' visit to Moscow last week, where they had "a conversation between the mute and the deaf."

To note, the Government of Norway earlier this month announced Stoltenberg will be the next Governor of the Central Bank. Stoltenberg's term in NATO ends later this year and he is expected to start his new role around December 1.

The 62-year-old served as Prime Minister of Norway twice before becoming NATO Secretary-General in 2014. After a successful first term, his mandate in the trans-Atlantic alliance was extended.

"Until my term in NATO ends on October 1, I will use all my power and attention to the leadership of the alliance," he said, as quoted by Euronews on February 4.