SHANGHAI, August 15. /TASS/. NATO wants to create "another Ukraine" in Asia in order to disrupt the development prospects of the entire Asian region, Feng Shaolei, the director of the Center for Russian Studies at the East China Normal University (ECNU), has told TASS.

"NATO wants to create another Ukraine in Asia. This trend is not only aimed at containing China, but in particular at blocking normal exchanges between countries in the entire Asian region and disrupting its development prospects. There is no doubt that neither China nor any country in the Asian region that wishes to retain independence and peace will allow such an attempt to succeed. The hard facts show that no politician in his right mind around the globe can afford to allow NATO to destroy the future of the entire world," the expert believes.

In commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's address to the participants in the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security on Tuesday regarding the possible integration of NATO with AUKUS (which includes Australia, Britain and the United States), Feng pointed out that such an expansion attempt was based on the selfish interests of certain forces.

"President Putin is right: NATO's expansion attempts in Asia are based on the selfish interests of right-wing political forces and the military-industrial bloc, as well as the historical experience of crusades. Their aim is to get back to the era of dividing the world by exclusive ideologies," Feng said.

The 11th Moscow Conference on International Security is running on the premises of the Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum.

Representatives from defense ministries and international organizations, military experts and diplomats from several dozen countries are discussing common threats to global and regional stability, as well as various aspects of security in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe. The central theme of the event, organized by the Russian Defense Ministry, is the establishment of cooperation in the new realities that arise in the process of establishing a multipolar world order.

In all, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, more than 800 delegates from 76 countries are taking part in the forum. It is noteworthy that no Western states are on this list. According to the program, among those who received an invitation to participate are China, India, South Africa, Israel, Turkey, Mexico, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the DPRK. Representatives from eight international organizations, including the UN, the CSTO, the SCO, ASEAN, the League of Arab States and the African Union were invited to the conference.