Addressing the conference “The Collective Security in a New Era: Experience and Prospects of the CSTO,” held at the Valdai International Discussion Club site, Zas acknowledged that the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) not only affects Russia and Belarus.

Zas, who is the chief of the bloc of post-Soviet states (Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan), denounced that there is an increased militarization in that region, which is a danger for the security of the organization.

The official assured that the Russian initiatives and the complex negotiations on security guarantees that Moscow is holding with the United States and the NATO respond to the CSTO’s interests.

About this issue, Minsk’s representative to this group Vyacheslav Remenchik said at the event that Belarus is ready to participate in the discussions on the security proposals presented by Russia to the West.

On December 17, Moscow published two drafts of possible agreements on long-term legal security commitments for Washington and the NATO.

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