VIENNA, May 19. /TASS/. The consequences of the Middle East crisis could affect Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea regions, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin said.

"We're monitoring the situation in the Middle East constantly, including the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz, Iran, the situation in Lebanon, and the Palestinian territories," the diplomat said at an international roundtable discussion hosted by the OSCE on the topic Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO): Together for Peace and Stability.

"The current situation in Libya, Yemen, and Syria has created a tangled web of contradictions, the consequences of which could affect Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Caspian Sea," the diplomat said. "This region is interconnected, and instability spills over from one part to another," he noted.