Lavrov: For the first time, the principle of indivisibility of  security has been enshrined within the CSTO

ArmInfo. The participants in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers)  adopted a document confirming the commitment to the principle of  indivisibility of security. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia  Sergei Lavrov stated at a press conference following the meeting of  the CSTO Ministerial Council.

"We adopted a document on international security issues, which for  the first time within the framework of the CSTO enshrined the  principle of the indivisibility of security, the need to ensure equal  and indivisible security, when no country will strengthen its  security at the expense of the security of any other country.  This  principle was proclaimed quite a long time ago within the OSCE as a  political obligation, but our Western partners categorically refuse  to implement it in practice, and demanded the provision of legal  security guarantees exclusively within the framework of the North  Atlantic Alliance," he said. According to Lavrov, this document  confirmed the adherence to this principle not only in the OSCE space,  but also in the development of the entire international situation.  The relevance of assertions of the indivisibility of security is now  evident in the Indo-Pacific region as well.

According to him, the second document that was signed is an extensive  Plan of consultations between the foreign ministries and ministries  of defense. Lavrov added that it envisages coordination of actions in  the Euro-Atlantic area (this is exactly the OSCE space), approaches  to the agenda of the UN General Assembly and consultations on various  regional crises and conflicts.

" A number of activities are devoted to coordinating positions on  international information security and cybercrime. Consultations will  be held on the military line, military-technical cooperation, the  development of collective aviation forces and other aspects,  including the training of CSTO peacekeeping contingents to  participate in peacekeeping operations that are carried out through  the UN. A separate item of the Plan provides for regular  consultations through the press services of the Ministry of Foreign  Affairs," the Russian minister said.

Regarding the expansion of the CSTO, Lavrov, in particular, said  that, "As for the quantitative composition, there is quantity, but  there is also quality, both from the point of view of the states  themselves that are members of a particular military-political  alliance, and from the point of view of existing defensive  capabilities. We have repeatedly suggested to our partners from NATO  on behalf of the CSTO (this was done for the first time many years  ago at the level of heads of state and foreign ministers) to start a  dialogue, establish mechanisms for interaction and consultations.  They arrogantly refused. I think that it has already become clear to  everyone that they cannot decide the fate of Europe."