MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Western countries are making every effort to drive a wedge between member countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said.

"Western countries are doing all they can to separate us," the senior Russian diplomat told the State Duma, or lower house of Russia’s parliament. The West has even been dissuading Russia’s CIS allies from taking part in sporting events or festivals, he added.

"Of course, we will have to show in our detailed work with partners that <…> our youth should have closer ties so that there is trust and mutual understanding, which can form the foundation for cooperation," Pankin said.

According to Pankin, cooperation in the former Soviet space in the spheres of security and the fight against crime, terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and corruption matters not only to Russia alone. "Our CIS allies deeply feel how vulnerable they are, both domestically and externally, to the pressure and insinuations being cast by our foes," he emphasized. The CIS currently seems to have more foes than friends, "and they are hostile," the diplomat lamented.