YEREVAN, 23 November (BelTA) – It is necessary to enhance the military component of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement at a plenary session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Yerevan, Armenia on 23 November, BelTA has learned.
Aleksandr Lukashenko said: “The military component of the Collective Security Treaty Organization is an inalienable component of the organization. The organization was essentially built around it 20 years ago. As priority tasks in this field we believe it is necessary to increase the readiness of components of the CSTO forces to carry out their missions and to step up military technology cooperation of the member states.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that the successful accomplishment of missions by the CSTO forces depends on their thorough training and equipment with modern weapons and special gear. “You know I am ashamed to talk about it. This problem has to be resolved once and for all within one year. We have to pool resources – it doesn't cost much – and arm our guys, whom we use for peacekeeping missions and other ones. And we have to demonstrate that we can kit out our guys as well as NATO countries can,” he stressed.
With this in mind a number of joint exercises involving command and control bodies and forces and assets of the CSTO collective security system will be planned and carried out in Belarus' territory in 2023.
According to Aleksandr Lukashenko, the development of the coalitional military technical component depends heavily on the organization's member states pursuing a coordinated military technology policy.
“Belarus and Russia have accumulated serious experience (a blessing in disguise) of intensifying military technology cooperation and creating ordinary and cutting-edge weapon systems. Feel free to join us, you are no strangers,” the president suggested.
Belarus' presidency over the Collective Security Treaty Organization intends to pay close attention to stepping up efforts to work out common approaches in the area of standardization and inventorying of defense products and the promotion of manufacturing cooperation for making defense products. “Just what we are doing within the framework of manufacturing cooperation with Russia. All of it should ensure the joint development and production of modern weapons and military hardware in the future,” Aleksandr Lukashenko assured.
In his words, the conflict in Ukraine demonstrates that old weapon systems should not be forgotten. “Grad, Smerch, Uragan, and other [multiple-launch rocket systems] are still quite good,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
