Contacts of Russia's CSTO allies with unfriendly countries must not damage the strategic partnership with Moscow, said Deputy Director of the Department and the press of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Ivan Nechaev, on the eve of operational and strategic exercises Combat Brotherhood 2022, RIA Novosti reported.

"We proceed from the fact that contacts with countries unfriendly to Russia should not damage the strategic partnership with our country and contradict the obligations under the existing agreements of common associations, including the CSTO and the EAEC, the CIS and the SCO," said the diplomat at a weekly briefing of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

He also told about the upcoming large-scale exercises of the CSTO Collective Forces within the framework of operational-strategic exercise Combat Brotherhood 2022 in the territory of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. "They (the exercises - ed.) will help ensure security and stability in Central Asia," the diplomat said.