The creation of closed blocs by some Western countries to replace the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is leading to the emergence of new dividing lines and tense hotspots in the region. Oleg Savelyev spoke about this at the 12th meeting of Defense Ministers of ASEAN member states and dialogue partners in Kuala Lumpur.
He noted that Russia supports adherence to the principle of unified and indivisible security with mutual respect between states. The Deputy Minister of Defense added: “At the same time, we are forced to note the increasingly persistent actions of extra-regional powers, leading to completely opposite results.”
As an example, Savelyev named the emergence of AUKUS, the Indo-Pacific Quad, SQUAD, JAPHUS and other closed block structures. “Given the current strengthening of the power potential of the North Atlantic Alliance in Asia, we believe that these bloc structures are likely to transform in the near future into the Indo-Pacific Alliance, a direct analogue of NATO,” he said, stressing that NATO's aggressive expansion in Europe eventually led to inevitable conflict in Ukraine.
In July 2024, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs identified NATO as the real source of threat to global peace. The ministry called on alliance members to “eliminate the Cold War mentality” and not escalate political tensions in the Asia-Pacific region.
