In this file photo dated Dec 27, 2022, warships from Chinese and Russian navies are pictured after a joint naval exercise, Joint Sea 2022, in the East China Sea. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

MOSCOW - Moscow will continue to boost military cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday.

Pointing to the increase in Western states' military presence in Asia, Africa and Latin America with the United States continuing to improve its military bases, Shoigu said at the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security that "we will continue to strengthen military cooperation with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region ... with which we have historically established particularly privileged relations."

The West, fearing a breakdown of the unipolar world and an open confrontation with a militarily strong adversary, is provoking local conflicts around the world.

Sergei Shoigu, Russian Defense Minister

The Russian defense minister noted that the emergence of a multipolar world order, mechanisms for boosting cooperation between defense agencies, and the role of these agencies in assessing security threats have regularly been discussed within the framework of the security conference.

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"The West, fearing a breakdown of the unipolar world and an open confrontation with a militarily strong adversary, is provoking local conflicts around the world," he said.

He said that Western policies were aimed at weakening competitors to gain full control over existing resources and prevent any consolidation among those that try to oppose this process.

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The 11th Moscow Conference on International Security has brought together experts, defense officials, and diplomats from around the world to discuss regional and global security issues.