ASHGABAT, September 11. /TASS/. Russia isn’t urging Turkmenistan to join the Collective Security Treaty Organization because it respects the country’s neutrality, Alexander Blokhin, the Russian ambassador to Turkmenistan told TASS on Saturday.

"The neutrality of Turkmenistan, which has twice been confirmed by resolutions of the UN General Assembly, is a very important, if not a key part of Turkmenistan's foreign policy concept," he said in an interview. "We always try to take into account the interests of the other side, with the understanding that this implies taking into account our interests. Turkmenistan is a good example of how to properly build bilateral relations. We do not call on Turkmenistan, say, to join the CSTO if it contradicts its neutral status."

On May 15, 1992, the leaders of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed the Collective Security Treaty. It served as a foundation for the Collective Security Treaty Organization that was established on May 14, 2002.