Senior Russian official questions role of NATO, Eurasian Economic Community

March 19, 2007 Igor Ivanov, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, said that the Eurasian Economic Community (EuroAsEC) could take the place of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

Speaking at a press conference, Ivanov said that the CIS has already played a great role in the development of all the countries and that its current role is rather overestimated.

At the moment, the EuroAsEC consists of six members and three observers. In his speech Ivanov also expressed his concern with what he termed US and NATO interference into the affairs of Russia's neighbor countries.

Speaking on behalf of the entire Security Council, one of whose members is the Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said that Russia will have to be politically and economically active to defend its interests.