Sergei LAVROV: the traditional priority is increasing cooperation with the Eurasian partners, primarily within the framework of the CSTO.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Union State of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union remain the main priorities of Russian foreign policy. Acting Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation SERGEI LAVROV stated this at a press conference summing up the results of the Russian diplomacy in 2019.
“The traditional priority is increasing cooperation with the Eurasian partners, primarily within the framework of the CSTO, the Union State, the CIS and the Eurasian Economic Union,” BelTA news agency quoted Sergei LAVROV.
Speaking at a press conference for Russian and foreign journalists, he drew special attention to the progress in the integration policy of the EEU which has been achieved in the five years of the association. The acting minister recalled that an agreement to establish a free trade zone with Vietnam had been signed long ago, and last year cooperation agreements were concluded with Singapore and Serbia.
The website of the Russian Foreign Ministry posted the answers to the questions of the mass media that were prepared but not voiced at the press conference in Moscow; they state that the Russian Federation, which will chair the Organization in 2020, will pay special attention to the building of CSTO’s peacekeeping capacity. Improvement of the regulatory framework necessary for the CSTO contingents to participate in UN-led peacekeeping operations will continue.
Closer cooperation with all interested international organizations and states is also among Russia’s priorities. In the context of ensuring security in the Eurasian space, it is particularly important for the CSTO to develop contacts with the CIS and SCO, focusing on countering terrorist threats. The CSTO will continue its dialogue with the UN and OSCE in areas of mutual interest.​