Committee of Secretaries of CSTO Security Councils discussed measures to neutralize challenges and threats to security of CSTO member states at their meeting on June 17 in Yerevan

The plan of joint training of command bodies and formations of forces and means of the CSTO Collective Security System for 2023 and a number of other documents, as well as the Plan of consultations of representatives of the CSTO member – tates on the issues of foreign policy, defense and security for 2022 - 2024 were approved by the CSTO Collective Security Council. The document was elaborated taking into account the main provisions of the 2025 CSTO Collective Security Strategy and serves as a basis for consultations in the field of counter-terrorism.

At the end of the session of the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils the Chairman of the CSSC, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan and Secretary General of the CSTO Stanislav Zass briefed the representatives of mass media.

Stanislav Zas said, in particular:  

"Dear representatives of the mass media!

The meeting of the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils has just finished in the hospitable Armenian land in the jubilee year - the 30th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the 20th anniversary of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. I want to thank the Armenian side for the excellent organization of the event. We accomplished all the tasks we set out to do.

During the meeting, we conducted a detailed analysis of the military and political situation in the world and assessed the situation in the CSTO area of responsibility, as well as in the adjacent regions. Today it is with regret that we can state the crisis of the world security system as such. The arrangements that have existed for decades are in fact no longer functioning and the level of mistrust between a number of leading players has reached a critical point. At the same time, regional challenges and threats have not only not lost their acuteness, but, by virtue of the growing global uncertainty, tend to become more acute.

The CSTO principled position remains the same: we are convinced of the need for a political settlement of all existing contradictions and call upon all forces on which the state of international security depends. Along with this, we are taking all necessary measures to strengthen peace and stability in the CSTO member states and are ready to defend their interests.

We have to note the simultaneous increase of threats to the security of our states in several directions.

One of the main instruments for ensuring the security of the Organization's member States and counteracting the challenges and threats is to build up the potential of collective security forces and means and also to organize close cooperation between special services and law enforcement bodies in conducting operational and preventive measures. For the last three years within the CSTO framework we have been conducting a special preventive operation "Mercenary", aimed at suppressing recruitment and blocking channels for citizens of CSTO member States to enter/leave CSTO member States to participate in terrorist activities and also at neutralizing the resource base of international terrorist organizations in the CSTO area. In the first half of this year, work was actively carried out to make the CSTO special operation "Mercenary" a standing CSTO regional anti-terrorist operation. All states supported this proposal, and today a decision has been signed on the matter.

From year to year we are building up our capacity and experience in countering drug trafficking, illegal migration and the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes. Special operations, respectively - "Channel", "Illegal" and "PROXI", show their effectiveness and efficiency. Our operations have been recognized as best practices among professionals, including international ones, over the years. This is evidenced by the great interest in the organization of special operations by specialists in many countries and international, regional organizations. Special operations are planned for this year as well.

Given the growing challenges and threats in the information sphere and information technology, ensuring the security of critical information infrastructure has become one of the top government priorities for all states of the Organization. Of course, the most important priority is an active offensive against criminal activities in the field of information technology.

This year we have a lot of work to do to organize practical activities of the Coordinating Council on ensuring biological security of our states.

Considering the discussion of issues of operational response to challenges and threats to security of our states, the CSTO Secretariat is preparing a package of regulatory legal acts to improve the crisis response system, which we plan to present at the fall session of the statutory bodies and the CSC.

Thus, taking into account the current situation, we have serious tasks to accomplish in order to strengthen the comprehensive potential of our Organization, to continue to work towards enhancing the prestige of the CSTO in the international arena.

 Thank you for your attention".

The CSTO also adopted a protocol decision on holding the next meeting of the CSTO Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils in the Republic of Armenia in the fourth quarter of 2022.

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CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zaynetdinov

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