Russia Condemns US Proxy Arms Race in Asia-Pacific

ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. Russia condemns Washington's persistent attempts to use proxy forces to fuel an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region, which among other things is fraught with the emergence of additional dividing lines there, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

"We, of course, condemn the persistent US attempts to use proxy forces to fuel an arms race in the Asia-Pacific region," she said at a news briefing on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). "This not only creates the risk of destabilizing the existing ASEAN-centric order and security architecture in this space, but also threatens to create additional dividing lines."

"We see the militarization of various regions of the world under the auspices and philosophy of NATO - in places where, strictly speaking, there was no potential for conflict," Zakharova noted. "And in places where, on the contrary, this potential for conflict was even displaced for the future by actively developing cooperation." This cooperation, she added, was slowed and put on hold precisely by the collective West.

Moreover, Washington, which is fueling this arms race, "was not invited there by anyone."

"They are offering their services to this region, without any positive experience behind them," Zakharova stated.

Moscow, for its part, consistently advocates for a political and diplomatic resolution of any emerging conflicts based on the already successfully functioning multilateral business dialogue platforms, which have proven themselves to be highly effective, she emphasized.