MOSCOW, November 10. /TASS/. The new system of bilateral and multilateral collective security guarantees in Eurasia should be open to cooperation, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Sergey Lebedev said.
"Military-political challenges, as well as geoeconomic and infrastructure risks, highlight the importance and reasonability of a broad discussion on a new system of bilateral and multilateral collective security guarantees in Eurasia. That said, there is an understanding among the member states of the Commonwealth, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the CSTO that such a system should be open to all countries with a broad dialogue among potential participants to identify specific areas of cooperation in the security field," he said at the international collective security forum.
Considering the ever-increasing pressure exerted by external actors on the Eurasian space, it is advisable to involve a broad range of regional organizations in the creation of a new security architecture, Lebedev noted. "The experience of cooperation within the Commonwealth [of Independent States], the CSTO, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization could be scaled up and extended to constructive, peace-loving forces in the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. It is essential to carefully identify common ground and build a dialogue based on trust," he concluded.