"It is fundamentally important that when the president develops this initiative, he always emphasizes that we do not close the door to any country located on the Eurasian continent. When and if our European colleagues come to their senses, realizing that they are being used to strengthen the US at the expense of weakening Europe, they are welcome, the doors are open. However, they must enter these processes on the basis of equality and full respect for the interests of those who started cooperation earlier," Lavrov said during a meeting with leaders of Russian NGOs.
He noted that on the material foundation of joint infrastructure projects in Eurasia, "a system of Eurasian security must be built."
"It is clear that Euro-Atlantic security, embodied in the linkage between North America and Europe and in structures like NATO and the OSCE, has discredited itself because all its variations boiled down to the US striving to subjugate everyone else. Eurasian security is a pressing issue. And, as with economic cooperation and the development of a system of military-political security, we are convinced that the doors for the western part of our continent should remain open," the Russian minister added.
At the same time, Moscow intends to involve the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and other alliances of the Eurasian continent in the Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP) formation process, Russia's top diplomat noted.
"We will involve in it [the formation of a partnership in Eurasia] other structures that are engaged in the material part of the cooperation in the region, including the Gulf Cooperation Council. This is also Eurasia," Lavrov said.
Eurasia is being formed as a separate part of a multipolar world, the minister added.
Strengthening ties between such groups as the Eurasian Economic Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation plays a great role in the formation of the GEP, Lavrov said.
The GEP is an initiative launched by Russia in 2015 to ensure broader integration in Eurasia and facilitate the establishment of a just multipolar world order.