MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. The Western countries’ plans for advancing the concept of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific may lead to socio-economic destabilization in the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region (APR), the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, said on Thursday in an address to the opening of the international conference entitled Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development on the island of Sakhalin.
"Our conference is being held on the Pacific coast, in a region that has long been an example of stability, security and sustainable development. But even here now there is a certain level of turbulence and problems of unpredictability," Medvedev said. "This is largely due to the short-sighted policy of a whole number of non-regional countries. Let me get this straight - Western countries".
"Under the pretext of supporting like-minded partners in Asia with all sorts of demagogic arguments about creating an ‘open Indo-Pacific region’, a number of countries have been expanding the system of alien structures in Asian states. It should be stated clearly that we definitely don’t like it, because their aims are non-transparent and extremely politicized. What's the point of spreading structures like NATO into the Asia-Pacific Region or creating such structures there? Obviously this will not contribute to stability," Medvedev said in his video message to the conference.
He warned that such interference would also affect environmental issues. As an example, he cited the growth of harmful emissions in European countries in 2022 in contrast to those in 2020 and 2021.
"Why? Precisely for political reasons. Instead of joint movement towards environmental development a completely different policy is being implemented," Medvedev stressed, adding that such actions, among other things, "endanger the food security of developing countries".
Earlier, the countries of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), which includes India, the United States, Japan and Australia, called for the promotion of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific. The idea, according to the parties, implies that the region will have an international order based on the principles of freedom, the rule of law, democratic values, peace settlement of disputes, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The international conference Environmental Policy and Sustainable Development is being held in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on October 6-7 at the initiative of the United Russia party. It focuses on social and political support for ensuring environmental security in the Asia-Pacific Region. State Duma members, governors of the Far Eastern regions, representatives from the political forces of East and Southeast Asia and the international expert community are taking part.