MOSCOW, Nov. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A high-ranking Russian official criticized NATO and the United States on Tuesday for pressuring Central Asian nations and attempting to meddle in their political affairs.

    "Afghanistan and Iraq lack stability. The situation in the South Caucasus is also complex. The pressure that NATO and US political and military structures are exerting on Central Asia is heightening tension in the region," Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov said at a session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Moscow, Russian news agencies reported.

    The CSTO links Russia with Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

    He also accused NATO and the United States of attempting to interfere in the political life of newly independent countries under the pretext of promoting democratic values and freedom.

    Military cooperation within the CSTO will focus on creating mechanisms to effectively tackle the security threats and challenges the organization faces, Ivanov said.

    But the Russian top security official ruled out any plans to establishing new Russian military bases in Central Asia.

    US forces are using a base in Kyrgyzstan to support military operations in nearby Afghanistan, but the United States was recently evicted from another base in Uzbekistan. Enditem