CSTO proved to be influential and effective organization

The events of the recent years demonstrated new trends in the international life, and especially in the security sphere. In the context of global tectonic shifts and transformations many issues of protecting national interests and assuring national security appear in the new light. During the preceding stages of the history of humankind, the armed power was seen as the key instrument of this function, but in the current conditions, on top of the military forces, other forms, methods and means are becoming of greater importance. They define the parameters of geopolitical struggle and determine the vectors of modernizing the forces and means for international security assurance.

Escalation of military and political tension

It was not the first year for the experts to acknowledge the escalation of military and political tension in Eurasia. The drivers were fundamental changes in the global balance of forces and unprecedented decrease of the controllability level in the system of international relations. In such environment of strategic instability, numerous «dormant» conflicts migrate to the «hot» phase and new conflicts emerge. Often, they are openly controlled and are used as instruments in global geopolitical confrontation. Due to the lack of dialogue between the leading global powers on the entire spectrum of threats to the international security, the risk of global crisis situations emerging with unforecastable consequences is growing inevitably.

This situation requires special attention of all the global and regional centers without exception including military and political alliances.

Of course, during thirty years of existence, the CSTO has proven demonstratively that it is an influential and capable organization, an inalienable element of the international security system. Its activity is based in three complementary spheres of applying the collective efforts: foreign policy coordination, military cooperation, joint counteraction to the transnational challenges and threats.

Our Organization stays committed to the agenda of unionization, assuring rule of law and democracy on the international arena, searching for comprehensive long-term settlement of crisis situations using political and diplomatic methods.

Updating the activity areas with account of the new realities

At the same time, taking into account the new political realities of today, the imperative need emerges for updating certain aspects of the CSTO activity bringing them into accordance with the necessities of the times. The leaders of the six member states have defined the strategy, the key areas and the pace of this comprehensive efforts targeted at improving the collective security system.

The first one. The need for systemic action to develop effective mechanisms for responding to the existing crises and preventing the potential conflicts. Such efforts should be underpinned by the in-depth analysis of the current situation in the international security sphere and by build-up of the strategic forecasting capabilities pertaining to new challenges and threats for the global and regional security. To achieve this, the Organization is updating its analytical tools in accordance with the priority to expand the CSTO capabilities in the information and analytical sphere proposed by the leadership of the Republic of Belarus. Engaging the think tanks and prominent representatives of research and expert community of the member states, the Organization has raised the issue of developing the new analytical methodology with the purpose of maximum effectiveness of defining the parameters for responding to the new challenges and threats and their prevention.

The second one. As our experience has proven demonstratively, the Organization has an efficient system of responding to crises. Nevertheless, the activity in this area is being constantly improved. Currently, there are efforts on-going to drastically decrease the time of decision-making and verification, to improve the communications in emergency situations and immediate awareness of the global community.

The third one. Further strengthening of the enforcement element of the CSTO activity, improving the systems of training and management of its Collective Forces require priority attention.

Equipping the troops with modern armaments, military and special-purpose vehicles, and specialized means in accordance with the decisions of the Collective Security Council of the Organization.

The results of such work are tested during regular joint combat training operations. There are the following positive examples: strategic exercise Brothers-in-Arms – 2022 (September-October 2022, Kazakhstan) Brothers-in-Arms – 2023 (September 2023, Belarus), exercise of the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces Enduring Brotherhood (October 2023, Kyrgyzstan) and many others. They demonstrated the growing teamplay of the participating units, high operating proficiency of the military servants, the effectiveness of the modern troops control methods.

The fourth one. The Organization has developed a solid contractual and legal framework regulating all the areas of its activities. However, the current political realities require further improvement of the legal basics, greater detail of mechanisms and tools, algorithms of managerial decision-making in the Organization. The work is underway to update a number of the basic documents and to bring them in line with the new environment.

The parliamentary dimension of the CSTO is becoming especially important in connection with the above. The development of the Organization legal framework and harmonization of national laws cannot be performed without dynamic interparliamentary cooperation.

The fifth one. The need to stabilize the situation at the southern frontiers of the CSTO zone of responsibility. Afghanistan remains the main source of regional instability and potential risks. The danger of spreading the terrorist activity and illegal trafficking in weapons and arms in the territory of the CSTO member states still persists.

The above-mentioned circumstances make the task of finalizing the draft Targeted Inter-Governmental CSTO Program for strengthening the Tajikistan-Afghanistan frontier even more relevant, as it includes specific measures to assure security of our southern boundaries.

The sixth one. In the process of emergence of new transnational challenges and threats including the pandemic, the efforts to improve biological safety, to develop its legal and organizational framework get additional relevancy.

It is important to activate the best practices sharing in the sphere of preventing and counteracting the virulent disease, specialists’ training, joint monitoring and responding to emergency situations.

The seventh one. Dynamic preventive measures and special measures require further build-up to establish the barriers in the channels used for recruiting the citizens of the CSTO member states for participating in terrorist activity, to terminate drugs trafficking, to counteract illegal migration and to assure information security.

Joint coping with challenges and threats

It became obvious that countries cannot cope with the new challenges and threats to the regional security just by themselves. Only in the context of effective multifunctional associations the Eurasian states receive a chance to keep their sovereignty and security subject to these states really understanding the value of such association, adhere to its principles and share the common Eurasian values. We are talking here about coordination of the CSTO member states within developing relevant pro-active agenda, precise goal-setting based on sober assessment of military and political situation in the world and in the region, as well as of their own capabilities.

The current security issues are dictating the need for more active work on deepening the interaction with other prestigious international institutions and individual countries. First of all, with those sharing our objectives and principles.

The United Nations Organization plays the key role in such cooperation, especially along the peace-keeping and anti-terrorist tracks.

Administrative, legal and organizational conditions are being formed for integrating the CSTO collective peace-keeping potential into the UN peace-supporting activities.

No doubt that introducing the «coordinating state» authorized to perform on behalf of all the CSTO member states in the contacts with the UN Secretariat in the peace-keeping sphere has become an important component of such work.

We will be building up systemic interaction with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It is important to acknowledge the similar approaches of the CSTO and the SCO to many relevant international problems, regular working contacts of the top officials of both organizations, deepening interaction on countering international terrorism, first of all.

Engaging the Commonwealth of the Independent States in such efforts will definitely become a significant factor of regional security assurance.

These are some of the main aspects of the efforts to build up the CSTO potential, improving its readiness to counteract the challenges and threats to Eurasian security.