YEREVAN, 24 November (BelTA) – CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas told reporters about the decisions taken by the heads of state at the CSTO summit, BelTA has learned.
According to him, two out of 17 documents that were on the agenda were discussed separately and were not signed. One of them was a draft decision of the heads of state on providing assistance to Armenia. “The document is in a high degree of readiness. In general, the parties reached agreement on a number of measures to provide assistance to Armenia in the current difficult situation related to the tensions on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The document was ready by and large, but some points needed to be finalized. An instruction was given to finalize this document and submit it for signing to the heads of state,” Stanislav Zas explained.
There was also a substantive discussion of the draft declaration of the Collective Security Council. The work on it is also on the home stretch. “Yet, following today's discussion and taking into account the situation unfolding in the CSTO area of responsibility, it will be necessary to make a number of adjustments to this document. This is a normal process. There is probably not a single international organization in the world where everyone would think the same way and assess certain situations and developments in the same way. You just need to look for consensus,” Stanislav Zas said.
The participants of the summit made two important personnel decisions. Imangali Tasmagambetov of Kazakhstan will become CSTO secretary general on 1 January 2023, and Denis Manturov, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade of Russia, was appointed Chairman of the CSTO Interstate Commission for Military and Economic Cooperation.
The CSTO secretary general recalled that a joint meeting of the CSTO Ministerial Council, the Defense Ministers Council and the Committee of Secretaries of the Security Councils of the CSTO member states was held right before the summit. The participants of the meeting adopted a statement on strengthening the international and regional security architecture and a system of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation. “It is a very relevant statement. We all are witnessing the ongoing degradation of the foundations of the international and regional security architecture. This statement expresses our consolidated position, our great concern over these negative trends. In particular, this pertains to the termination of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty,” the CSTO secretary general said. According to him, the statement calls for an equal and mutually respectful dialogue aimed at reducing confrontation, restoring trust and strengthening arms control mechanisms.
A joint statement on combating the financing of terrorism was also adopted. It highlights the need to intensify cooperation in this field between the CSTO and other regional structures and international organizations. The parties emphasized the importance of conducting the complex of operational and preventive measures Nayomnik that are held annually. It was decided to give this operation the status of a permanent regional anti-terrorist operation, said Stanislav Zas. Thus, it will be held on a systematic, regular basis.
Among the approved decisions is a statement by the ministers of foreign affairs on the actions of the OSCE. “In this statement our foreign ministers show their collective disagreement with the decision of the OSCE chair Poland that made it impossible for the delegation of the Russian Federation to participate in the 29th OSCE Ministerial Council,” the CSTO secretary general explained. He added that the CSTO was not invited to this OSCE meeting, contrary to long-standing practice.
The participants of the meeting adopted a number of statements aimed at counteracting the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism, extremism, chauvinism, and all forms of xenophobia. The document condemns attempts to rewrite history, distort or revise the results of the Second World War, expresses concern and alarm at the increasing desecration of the memory of those who liberated the countries of Europe from Nazi aggression and occupation.
These decisions will launch a new direction in the CSTO activities, which is biosecurity. The organization is creating a Coordinating Council on Biological Safety which first meeting will be held in 2022.
