The Asia-Pacific region needs a joint reliable security system based on compliance with the international law and the principles of mutual respect, Russian Federation Council lawmaker Konstantin Kosachev said on Tuesday.
"The region needs a reliable architecture of equal and indivisible security in line with the modern realities and based on the strict compliance with the generally recognized norms of international law, the principles of mutual respect, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-use of force or threat of force," Kosachev said at the first plenary meeting of the 24th session of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Vancouver, Canada.
Kosachev, the head of the upper house’s foreign affairs committee, who leads Russia’s parliamentary delegation, said only this system can ensure stable and dynamic growth, the promotion of the trade and economic and investment cooperation, combating the current security challenges and preventing new threats.
"The model based on the 'closed' military and political alliances does not solve this task," Kosachev said, stressing that the current system fails to ensure the necessary security level and contribute to creating the atmosphere of trust and mutual understanding.
The current system often "provokes tensions and can potentially lead to an open confrontation and there is a risk that many countries of the region may be involved in it," he said.
Kosachev reminded that Russia has proposed a common search for responses to the current challenges and threats to achieve a true strategic balance and stability. In particular, upon Russia’s initiative a multilateral dialogue on forming a new architecture of security in the region was launched at the East Asia Summit.
The joint efforts should result in reaching an agreement on an all-encompassing multilateral deal on security in the Asia-Pacific region. This document could become a key tool in the security sphere in the region, Kosachev said.
Source: TASS
