President Dmitry Medvedev has sent a draft treaty on European security to leaders of other countries and international organizations of the Euro-Atlantic space, said the government
on Sunday.
"Following discussions in various multilateral forms over the past year, the Russian side has drafted a treaty on European security," said the Kremlin in a press release.
The president has sent the draft pact to international organizations active in the Euro-Atlantic space such as NATO, the European Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent
States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, according to the Kremlin.
The draft document consisting of 14 articles was published on the Kremlin website, calling for mutual cooperation between signatory states "on
the basis of the principles of indivisible, equal and undiminished security."
"Any security measures taken by a party to the treaty individually or together with other parties, including in the framework of any international
organization, military alliance or coalition, shall be implemented with due regard to security interests of all other parties," said the draft treaty.
"The parties shall act in accordance with the treaty in order to give effect to these principles and to strengthen security of each other," it
said.
Medvedev came up with an initiative on June 5, 2008 to develop a legally binding treaty on European security, documenting the principle of indivisible security in international law, according to the Kremlin.
The proposed new treaty was seen as an effort to reduce the EU's security dependence on the United States.