MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. The member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have shown interest in Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative to build a unified security system in Eurasia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

"[ASEAN member states] have shown interest in President Putin's initiative, which I have already mentioned, on the formation of a Eurasian security system that would be indivisible and equal. ASEAN is ready for a substantive conversation on this topic," he said at a press conference following the ASEAN-Russia meeting and the 14th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting.

According to Lavrov, the West, for its part, promotes narrower formats of interaction in the region with the "blatant" goal of containing Russia and China. "Our ASEAN partners understand this perfectly well," the top diplomat emphasized.