Stanislav ZasMINSK, Jan 23 NATO countries' military activity near the CSTO borders in Eastern Europe is not contributes to strengthening security in the region, it is necessary to reduce the degree of tension, said CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas. «In general, the militarization of the Eastern European region near the western borders of the CSTO, the increase in military activity on these borders, does not contribute to strengthening the security of all our countries, primarily in the eastern -the European region, creates a certain source of threats, this is actually the case. Therefore, we consider it important to reduce this degree of confrontation, tension, military activity, and look for other ways to ensure security,» Zas said in an interview with the ONT television channel, commenting on the activity NATO countries near the borders of Belarus. The interview was broadcast on the TV channel on Sunday. The Secretary General noted that the CSTO countries consider the organization as a fairly effective tool for ensuring security in the area of responsibility. «After all, we have the right to use our collective defense forces on the territory of our states, and outside our states — only peacekeeping units, peacekeeping contingents, and only with the resolution of the UN Security Council. But within our territories, our zone of responsibility — for us it is on is actually a tool for the collective security of all our states,» he stressed. Zas also spoke about plans to hold an international security conference in the fall with the participation of all member states of the organization and with the involvement of representatives of other states and international organizations. «We look forward to a high-level dialogue regarding security issues in our Eurasian space,» he added.
