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CSTO wants to establish dialogue with NATO

According to Bordyuzha, a dialogue with NATO will help overcome challenges and threats facing both organizations

MOSCOW, May 23 (Itar-Tass) - The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) wants to establish a dialogue with NATO but is not going to “force a closed door,” CSTO secretary general Nikolai Bordyuzha said on Thursday at an international conference on European security.

According to Bordyuzha, a dialogue with NATO will help overcome challenges and threats facing both organizations. Common grounds, in his words, can be found in such areas as stability in Afghanistan, anti-drug and antiterrorism fight, information security, joint efforts after natural calamities, and information exchange on peacekeeping activities. “We are open for discussion. But we are not seeking to have NATO respond at whatever cost. We are not forcing a closed door,” he said.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization has enough forces to ensure security of its member states, Bordyuzha stressed. “Mechanisms of joint response have been created in all areas that might pose threats or challenges to the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,” he noted.

He also said that the Collective Security Treaty Organization is satisfied with its contacts with such organizations as the United Nations, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Their pooled efforts ensure stability in Eurasia.