MINSK, 31 January (BelTA) – Nobody wants a war. Neither Russia nor other countries in the region want it. Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Stanislav Zas made the statement on the air of the Belarusian TV channel STV as he commented on reports about Russia allegedly preparing to attack Ukraine, BelTA has learned.
Stanislav Zas noted that a war is not necessary, however, he stressed that provocations are possible. “Certainly, the risk of provocations is very high. It should be taken into account and avoided,” he noted.
Speaking about Russia-NATO talks, Stanislav Zas remarked: “Some stage, the first stage of these negotiations has ended. It was not simple. Regretfully, it has not produced concrete results. Certainly, it is very important for the negotiating parties to ultimately hear each other, to hear these concerns, and, well, find ways out. If steps are made in the right direction, certainly it will allow reducing tensions in the space you and I live in.”
The CSTO secretary general also spoke about the Belarusian-Russian army exercise Allied Resolve 2022, which is about to begin in Belarus. Stanislav Zas stressed that the exercise will be purely defensive. “Certainly, it is a domestic affair of Belarus and Russia, which are staging the exercise in their own territory. At the same time certainly it is necessary to take into account these concerns, fears. It is necessary to simply add transparency, openness within the framework of this exercise. Here you are, look, here is the scenario of the exercise and those are the participants. It will allow building up trust and may alleviate some fears,” he concluded.
