The process of settling regional conflicts, be they in Kosovo or Cyprus, the Transcaucasus or in Transdniester. The principles for settlement should be universal and based on international law and respect for the interests of all the peoples concerned by the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a conference with Ambassadors and permanent representatives of the Russian Federation. "Our country is directly involved in settling a number of conflicts in the CIS area. I wish to stress that we will continue to fulfil our peacekeeping mission, in spite of the open provocation that we sometimes encounter," he said.
"I repeat once again that we have no intention of joining in any kinds of ultimatums that only drive the situation into a dead end and deal a blow to the UN Security Council's authority. It is our conviction that crises can be settled by drawing states into dialogue and not by isolating them. As events have shown in the past, taking the road of dialogue offers not just hope but brings real positive steps forward," Putin said.

"We in no way call into question the right of our neighbors, the CIS countries, to act independently at home and on the international stage. It would be stupid to suspect Russia of such a thing when it was Russia that initiated giving them independence in the first place. But we must make it clear that we also have the right to choose our friends. We see the example of a number of CIS countries where attempts to ignore the centuries-old ties that have developed between our peoples results in the threat of the emergence of weak and dependent state formations that are unable to act independently. 

Our responses are therefore based on the genuine aspirations of the peoples living in the CIS, and these aspirations are for cooperation and good-neighborly relations on an equal basis and for integration that brings greater practical benefits and impact. One of the key projects in this area is that of developing our common humanitarian space," the Russian President resumed.