CSTO secretary-general accuses NATO of
MOSCOW. Dec 26 (Interfax) - NATO's activities have made a significant contribution to the exacerbation of the situation in Ukraine and the creation of a new hotbed of tension, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said.
"Ukraine has shown why contacts and interaction in the CSTO-NATO format have not worked. There were other political reasons. The objective was to create a hotbed of tension near Russia. And, by the way, representatives of NATO member-states had no small share in this," Bordyuzha said in an interview shown on the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
All proposals the CSTO has made to NATO on arranging interaction in opposing terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal immigration have been left "without coherent answers," he said.
Bordyuzha described NATO's decision to increase its military groups near Russian borders, including air force ones, as counterproductive steps.
"What is this for? Are these intimidating actions? But, frankly speaking, they've had no effect," he said.
Russia and the CSTO should not respond to these "purely provocative actions," he said.
At the same time, the CSTO should build a security system "that could guard us from any ill-conceived and reckless actions on NATO's part," he said.