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All delegations attending the meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Minsk acknowledged that they see what the United States and its satellites are doing in the common space of the Commonwealth of Independent States, trying to spread their tentacles in the region, TASS quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as saying on Friday..

Replying to a question about whether the meddling of external forces in the affairs of the CIS member countries was discussed, Lavrov told a news conference: "Yes, it was discussed at the narrow format meeting." "Sergey Nikolayevich [Lebedev] has just mentioned it. Everyone understands everything perfectly well: the US and its satellites are trying to intrude into all regions of our common space," he said.

"They are trying to undermine the agreements on stabilization in the Caucasus, particularly in the South Caucasus. They do not want to allow the implementation of agreements that were reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan with Russia's assistance. They are also trying to infiltrate into Central Asia in the most active way," Lavrov went on to say.

"They are creating various formats that are openly aimed against the Russian Federation. It is publicly stated: we need to ensure the real sovereignty of the countries in the post-Soviet space, to ensure that they get out of the shadow of the Russian Federation. The same policy is being pursued with regard to Moldova, and in many other places," he said.

Meanwhile, Russia's partners remain committed to the principles of cooperation within the CIS post-Soviet bloc, Lavrov stressed. "Under huge pressure [from the West], our allies, our strategic partners, remain committed to all the basic principles on which cooperation within the CIS, within the CSTO, within the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization rests," Lavrov said.