MINSK, 23 August (BelTA) – Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko is taking part in an extraordinary session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) on the situation in Afghanistan. The event is held in the format of a video conference, BelTA has learned.
The CSTO leaders will focus on the situation in Afghanistan and its impact on the security of the CSTO member states. The session is chaired by Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon.
Taking part in the video summit apart from the Belarusian president are State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vladimir Makei and Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces - First Deputy Defense Minister Viktor Gulevich. According to the Pul Pervogo Telegram channel, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin is on a business trip to Moscow.
The event is held at the initiative of Russia. Participating in the summit, apart from the leaders of the CSTO member states, is also Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
As BelTA reported earlier, a commentary of CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas was published in connection with a dramatic change of the situation in Afghanistan on 16 August. “The rapid advance of the Taliban movement, its takeover of the main part of the territory of Afghanistan, including the state borders and the capital Kabul, as well as the actual change of power in the country have a great influence on the situation in the Central Asian region of the CSTO collective security and cause deep concern,” Stanislav Zas said.
The CSTO has been carefully monitoring the development of the situation on the Tajik-Afghan border. The main goal of the organization in the current circumstances is to ensure the security of the CSTO member states. The priority in the organization's activities continues to be given to political and diplomatic means.
According to Stanislav Zas, in the case of aggravation of the situation and a threat to the security of the Republic of Tajikistan, all necessary collective measures stipulated by the statutory documents will be taken to help the ally. At the same time, it was stated that the Tajik security forces had full control of the situation on the border with Afghanistan, and there was no need to involve the CSTO mechanisms.
Preparations have already begun for an exercise of the CSTO Collective Forces that will take place near the Tajik-Afghan border in the coming months.
It is expected that the situation around Afghanistan will also be one of the main issues on the agenda of the upcoming session of the CSTO Collective Security Council to be held in the capital of Tajikistan, Dushanbe, in mid-September.
According to Article 13 of the CSTO Charter, the Collective Security Council is the organization's supreme body. The Council considers fundamental issues of the organization's activities and makes decisions aimed at implementing its goals and objectives, as well as ensures the coordination and joint activities of member states to achieve these goals. The Council consists of the heads of the member states. The Council meetings may be attended by ministers of foreign affairs, defense ministers, secretaries of security councils of the member states, secretary general of the organization, authorized representatives of the member states to the organization and invited persons.
