MOSCOW, May 29. /TASS/. The West is stepping up the threat of new sanctions on CIS countries if they maintain close ties with Belarus and Russia, said the state secretary of the Belarusian Security Council, Alexander Volfovich.

"The Westerners, as they try to retain the status of the main subject of international relations, are making attempts to do everything to counteract the development of interstate integration associations across the post-Soviet space. That’s what explains the mounting pressure of the West on the Commonwealth countries with the purpose of economic reorientation and reduction of integration ties in the CIS, along with the threat of potential sanctions as blackmail against the countries that are partners of Moscow and Minsk," he said at a meeting of secretaries of security councils from around the CIS, the BelTA news agency reported.

The meeting was part of an international conference that brought together high representatives in charge of security.

According to Volfovich, geopolitical tensions continue to rise in the world amid a complex process of complete transformation of international relations. He said a multipolar world is increasingly becoming a real alternative to the teetering global dominance of the collective West. In this context, what continues to be a consolidating factor in the development of the CIS is the constant strengthening of security mechanisms, the bolstering of joint efforts to strengthen the role of the group on the international stage and its participation in building a new just world order, he said.

Volfovich called for intensified public relations and ideological activities across the Commonwealth and updating the group’s legislation in order to prevent a recurrence of neo-Nazism; extremism; ethnically, racially and religiously motivated discrimination; and other inhumane conduct. He said that the current realities again bring to the forefront the need to build closer relations between CIS countries in all areas without exception: from politics to security to economy and humanitarian ties.

"We are confident that the success and effectiveness of our joint efforts will largely depend on whether there is a common understanding of the existing situation and solidarity in approaches, along with mutual support in international affairs and the strengthening of relations between allies and partners," he said.