MOSCOW, 3 December (BelTA) – The Collective Security Council (CSC) of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), approved 15 documents during a video conference on 2 December, BelTA learned from CSTO spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov.
The CSC adopted a declaration which states that over the years of its existence, the CSTO has occupied an important place among authoritative international and regional organizations and has become an effective factor in maintaining regional stability and sustainable development. “The organization is an effective multifunctional structure of complex collective security that fully meets the objectives of peace consolidation, international and regional security on the basis of universally recognized norms and principles of international law,” the document reads.
The summit participants adopted a statement on the formation of a fair and sustainable world order. The document notes that one of the main tasks of mankind in the 21st century is the creation of conditions, guarantees and prospects for the harmonious development of future generations. “We are convinced that the mankind has an opportunity to jointly ensure peace, stability and security for all, to find an appropriate response to modern challenges and threats. The response to the challenges the humanity is facing is possible only in a fair and rational world order based on universally recognized principles and norms of international law,” the statement emphasizes.
The CSC approved the plan of military cooperation of the CSTO member states for 2021-2025 and a new anti-drug strategy for 2021-2025. “The strategy will make it possible to promptly respond to changes in the situation related to illegal drug distribution within the CSTO member states, and to reduce the scale of illegal trafficking of psychoactive compounds and their non-medical use. The anti-drug strategy defines coordinated approaches of the competent authorities in the field of counter-narcotics and the main areas of cooperation between the authorized bodies of CSTO member states,” the spokesman said.
The CSTO heads of state made a decision to sign an agreement on joint logistical and medical support of the troops (the Collective Forces) and to amend the agreement on peacekeeping activities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization of 6 October 2007. The amendments regulate the participation of the CSTO collective peacekeeping forces in UN operations through an agreement with the coordinating state, which the Collective Security Council defines as one of the CSTO member states.
CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas noted that, in accordance with the priorities of the Russian presidency, work has been done to further develop the CSTO peacekeeping forces. “This year plans are in place to include a special purpose medical unit into the peacekeeping forces of the organization,” Stanislav Zas said. He said that work also continued to improve the system of collective response to modern challenges and threats. “The priority task in this area was to increase joint efforts in the fight against terrorism and related extremism. Implementing the priorities of the Russian Federation, the Mercenary Operation has been successfully conducted to block the channels of recruitment, exit/entry of citizens of the organizations' member states to participate in terrorist activities and neutralize the resource base of terrorist organizations,” the CSTO scretary general said.
The summit participants also decided to take additional measures to improve the system of training personnel for government bodies of the CSTO member states. The CSTO Collective Security Council approved the budget of the organization for 2021.
Upon the completion of the Collective Security Council session, Tajikistan took over the CSTO presidency for the next inter-sessional period.
The Collective Security Council was held as a video conference for the first time. The CSTO Crisis Response Center was used for the purpose. Taking part in the event were Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, acting President of Kyrgyzstan Talant Mamytov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon, and also CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas.
The heads of state discussed the state of international security and issues of further improvement of CSTO efficiency, implementation of the decisions of the Collective Security Council made at the session in November 2019 and statutory bodies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in the inter-sessional period, as well as development and strengthening of inter-parliamentary cooperation of CSTO member states. Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of the Russian State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin provided information on the issue.
