MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Pressure that NATO and the United States are putting on Central Asia is fueling tension in the area under the control of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov said.
"Afghanistan and Iraq lack stability. The situation in the South Caucasus is also complex. The pressure that NATO and U.S. political and military structures are exerting on Central Asia is heightening tension in the regions under the CSTO's control," Ivanov said at a session of the organization's security council secretaries in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The attempts to interfere in the political life of newly independent countries under the pretext of promoting democratic values and freedoms are obvious," he said.
Creating military mechanisms capable of effectively responding to possible threats and challenges facing CSTO's security is high on the organization's agenda for military cooperation, Ivanov said.