Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview for a documentary titled 'CSTO Allies - 30 Years on Guard of Collective Security' that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should be a balancing element in the Euro-Atlantic area.

According to Lavrov, "A heated debate is now underway regarding how to implement CSTO summit decisions on ensuring indivisible security. This is one of the fundamental issues that we are bringing up for the discussion."

He added that "we are asking those questions to our interlocutors, because, apart from the commitment to refrain from boosting anyone’s security at the expense of others, everyone has undertaken the commitment to prevent any organization - in this case, NATO - from claiming an exceptional role in security-related events and processes in the Euro-Atlantic region."

The Minister assured that Russia will "press for those answers," adding that "one cannot simply promise something, sign something and do whatever he wants, it does not work this way."

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The growth of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) does not sit well with NATO nations, according to Lavrov, adding that "CSTO will develop depending on needs that do arise in practical life. Not everyone likes the organization’s development, including our NATO colleagues."

According to the Minister, since the mid-2000s, CSTO has been encouraging NATO to establish structures for discussions, information sharing, and collaboration in many fields of Euro-Atlantic security, notably within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Lavrov asserted that NATO members, who continue to treat other states and organizations with arrogance, ignored those requests.

"A heated debate is now underway regarding ways to implement CSTO summit decisions on ensuring indivisible security. This is one of the fundamental issues that we are bringing up for the discussion," he stated.

"The formula of indivisible security, signed by presidents and heads of governments of all NATO countries, envisages, among other things, that every nation, group of nations or organization abstains from attempts to claim the dominant role in the Euro-Atlantic region."

Lavrov emphasized that all NATO initiatives are exactly what its members set out to prevent, which is the commitment to stop anyone from boosting their security at the expense of others and to prevent any organization from claiming an exceptional role in security in the Euro-Atlantic.