MOSCOW, February 19. /TASS/. Moldova and Ukraine have abandoned interest in developing mutually beneficial relations with Russia because they have delegated their sovereignty to the West, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.
"With the exception of Ukraine and Moldova, which have relinquished their sovereignty both in terms of internal development and international positioning to the West, in all other areas there is genuine deep and growing interest from all CIS states in the active, progressive, dynamic development of the entire range of relations with Russia, and this concerns both the national and regional dimensions," he said at a presentation of the report of the Valdai International Discussion Club "Russia and Neighbors: Mutual Responsibility and Joint Development."
He acknowledged that every country that emerged after the collapse of the USSR has its own priorities, including in relations with Russia.
"But this interest remains," he said. "Even if there was a stage of attempts at some kind of artificial demarcation with Russia, attempts to present it as a kind of deserted space that does not need to be dealt with, then, with the exception of the aforementioned Ukraine and Moldova, this stage has long passed and given way to the desire to use what is called competitive advantages from ties with Russia in the interests of their internal development, in the interests of socio-economic growth, in the interests of strengthening their positions in the international arena."
According to Galuzin, Russia has a mutual national interest in the comprehensive development of relations with the CIS nations. "And we need to be able to align it," he said.
As an example, he cited secondary and higher education, pointing to the growing interest, particularly in the Central Asian countries, in expanding the branches of Russian universities and schools with teaching in Russian and using Russian educational standards. "This interest exists, it is real, objective, and is due to the fact that these states really link many of their national development plans with Russia, and we are open to the widest possible cooperation here," he concluded.