TOKYO: Russia on Wednesday criticized NATO’s plan to open an office in Japan as leading to the militarization of the Asia-Pacific region.

Speaking in a press briefing in Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the plan is yet another proof of NATO’s ambitions to entrench in the region to spread an anti-Russia and anti-China agenda.

NATO’s advance in Asia will lead to the militarization of the region and an escalation in bloc conflicts, she said.

JIJI Press