Martynov: There is drive towards integration in the CIS
These were not just regular summits. They were of largely political and symbolic nature, the minister noted.
According to BelTA, he recalled that the extraordinary session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 10th anniversary of the founding of the CSTO. In turn, the CIS meeting was informal. "Both the events and the fact that they were the first multilateral meeting of the new Russian President were certainly not accidental. It is therefore possible to speak about the increasingly expressed desire, though existing in different forms in different states, to strengthen multilateral relations through integration," Sergei Martynov said.
"In addition to the expanded meaningful declaration, we should note that the CSTO, thanks to joint efforts of its member states, with Belarus being always an active one, is turning into a serious, multi-purpose, an important, both in the international and global context, organization," the minster said.
There is an understanding that the modern world is global and interdependent on the one hand, but on the other, is characterized by increasing competition for natural resources, maintaining the stability of economies and societies. "It is difficult, if not impossible, to survive alone in this fight and in this world, and it is impossible to be competitive compared with such powerful unions as the EU, ASEAN, other economic and political associations," believes Sergei Martynov .
"That is why these events in Moscow in the early days of Vladimir Putin's presidency demonstrated the significance Russia pays to integration. This idea is also contained in one of Putin's first decrees dedicated to Russia's foreign policy which highlights the importance of integration associations from with the Union State of Belarus and Russia to the CSTO, the CIS, the Customs Union, the Single Economic Space, etc. This is the tendency which our partners notice and take into account in international cooperation," the minister said.
"Belarus, for its part, supports consolidation of integration in different formats," Sergei Martynov said.
"It is not a tribute to fashion. It is the acknowledgement of its necessity by all member states," he added.
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