Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized NATO's expansionism and its attempt to expand its presence in the entire Eastern Hemisphere.

In an article published on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry today (Tuesday), Lavrov warned that NATO is undermining the current regional structure around the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and creating a new hotspot of geopolitical tension in the Asia-Pacific region.

He said that Washington forms small military-political alliances under its control, such as the “Ocus” alliance, which includes the United States, Britain, and Australia, and the tripartite alliance, which includes the United States, Japan, and South Korea, in addition to the quadripartite alliance, which includes Tokyo, Seoul, Canberra, and Wellington, and engages them in practical cooperation with NATO. NATO, which deploys its infrastructure in the Pacific arena.

Lavrov explained in his article entitled “Adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter in their entirety and their interconnectedness is a guarantee of international peace and stability,” that these efforts constitute a threat to the comprehensive regional structure based on consensus around ASEAN.