MOSCOW, 14 July (BelTA) – The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) should cultivate a positive image in the international arena, CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov said at a meeting of Russia's State Duma committee for CIS affairs, Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots, BelTA learned from CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov.
Yuri Khachaturov spoke about the CSTO's present-day priorities and the preparations for a CSTO Parliamentary Assembly meeting. In his view, over the 15 years since the organization was set up and 25 years since the collective security treaty was signed, effective mechanisms have been established to ensure security, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the CSTO member states.
Yuri Khachaturov noted that MPs can contribute in a number of areas to help raise the effectiveness of collective efforts to ensure international peace and security. Without the active participation of the national parliaments, it is difficult to ensure the harmonization of the legislations of the member states, develop the legal framework for their participation in the CSTO format.
One of the important goals is to promote a positive image of the CSTO in the international arena, Yuri Khachaturov said. “One of the ways is to step up the work of MPs with their foreign counterparts from international organizations and third countries, their presence in domestic and foreign mass media with the aim of promoting the CSTO policies across the spectrum,” Yuri Khachaturov said.
The secretary general also gave his assessment of the prevailing political and military situation in the CSTO area of responsibility and topical issues of international and regional security.
