SVR Chief Naryshkin Calls for Diplomacy Amid Escalation Risks, Cites Cuban Missile Crisis as Example

ST. PETERSBURG, September 4. /TASS/. The resolution of the Caribbean Crisis is a successful example of diplomacy winning out over escalation, one that would be worth emulating today, Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin stated.

He noted that the propaganda mechanisms set in motion by politicians create such a rigid worldview that they become hostages to it and fall into their own traps. "Diplomacy no longer works in this situation, and the major powers are literally plunging into total war, often with devastating consequences for all," he said at the 22nd meeting of the Conference of Heads of Security Agencies and Intelligence Services of the CIS member states.

"We must prevent such a turn of events," the SVR chief noted. "Thankfully, history offers a few examples of a successful way out of the spiral of escalation. One of the most striking examples is the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Soviet Union and the United States made mutual concessions and averted nuclear war," he recalled.

"We have good reason to doubt that there are still statesmen in the modern West, and especially in Europe, capable of taking such decisive and responsible steps," Naryshkin pointed out. "Therefore, without waiting for the escalation in Eurasia to reach its peak, our task is to strengthen our collective security system and develop dialogue and cooperation mechanisms without interference from external forces or the imposition of foreign development models and values that are alien to us," he stressed.

Naryshkin pointed out that the Commonwealth of Independent States will celebrate its 35th anniversary this December. "The cooperation between our countries, our peoples, and our intelligence services has stood the test of time. It is a crucial element of stability across Greater Eurasia," the SVR chief concluded.