“We do not close ourselves off from dialogue with Western countries. The Russian side and the CSTO have repeatedly voiced proposals to NATO to start a dialogue with a view to finding common ground on building a security system, including the key principle - that we do not ensure our security at the expense of the security of others. Unfortunately, those proposals that were repeatedly made by us did not find a reciprocal desire,” Vasilyev said.
Earlier in June, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, following the meeting of the CSTO Foreign Ministers' Council, stated that NATO plans to obstruct the creation of a Eurasian security structure.
"NATO will in every possible way hinder such just processes [the formation of a security architecture in Eurasia], but this is an absolutely inevitable path," he emphasized.
Lavrov added that the CSTO agrees on the necessity of forming a security architecture in Eurasia.
"The threats to Eurasian security arise from various directions, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, the source of these threats is NATO's aggressive stance," noted the head of Russian diplomacy. He pointed out that the North Atlantic Alliance seeks to "privatize and take over all matters related to ensuring stability in our vast region."
President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a meeting with the Foreign Ministry leadership in early June, stated that it is time to discuss collective security guarantees in Eurasia. It is also necessary to reduce the presence of extraregional military forces there. The head of state emphasized that Russia is interested in advancing a serious dialogue at the UN on creating an indivisible security system.