On 24 April 2024, in Moscow, at the CSTO Secretariat consultations of the CSTO member states under the chairmanship of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the theme: "On topical issues of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation" took place.
From 1 to 23 April 2024, the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation hosted the regular IX Training Courses of the CSTO member states for senior staff and leading specialists of defense departments, law enforcement agencies, security council apparatuses, security agencies and special services, as well as bodies authorized to prevent and eliminate emergency situations.
On 22 April 2024, the CSTO Secretariat hosted a working meeting between the Deputy Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Samat Ordabaev, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Central Asia, Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA), Kakha Imnadze.
The CSTO Secretary General participated in the 15th meeting of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly
05.12.2022
On December 5, 2022, in Moscow, a meeting of the Council and the 15th plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization was held.
Stanislav Zas has informed the meeting participants about the results of the regular November (2022) session of the CSTO Collective Security Council and the current situation in the Organization's area of responsibility:
"Dear Mr. Chairman,
Dear members of the Council of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly,
Dear parliamentarians,
Allow me to express my gratitude for the invitation to speak at today's meeting.
I am pleased to note that the parliamentary dimension is becoming more and more important every year as part of the overall work to strengthen and develop our Organization and to fully implement its objectives.
This is especially important at the present time, when we have to work in a sharply deteriorating international situation.
In the Eastern European region the NATO forward deployment forces are building up, the alliance's infrastructure is improving, its facilities are getting closer to the area of responsibility of the CSTO. The military budgets of the NATO countries are growing manifold. Poland and Romania declare their readiness to deploy nuclear weapons on their territories.
We are well aware that the state of security in Eastern Europe will be determined by the results of the special military operation in Ukraine and the subsequent peace agreements based on its results.
The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border remains permanently difficult. Every day there are exchanges of fire.
In accordance with the request of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan this issue was discussed three times at the extraordinary meetings of the CSTO CSC. By the assignment of the heads of states the monitoring mission headed by the Secretary General and the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Organization worked in the Republic of Armenia. A draft CSC decision "On joint measures for the provision of assistance to the Republic of Armenia" was prepared because of the work and was discussed at the session of the Council on November 23 this year.
Due to the differences in the positions of the CSTO member states, it was not possible to adopt this draft. I hope that after further elaboration we will come to a "package" adoption of two complementary documents: The Decision on Assistance to the Republic of Armenia and the Statement of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers in Support of Peace Efforts in the South Caucasus Region.
Challenges and threats emanating from the territory of Afghanistan persist in the Central Asian region. This is, above all, a high level of terrorist danger and drug trafficking.
Under these conditions, work to assist the Republic of Tajikistan in strengthening security on the Tajik-Afghan border remains relevant.
We intend to conduct an in-depth exchange of views and information at the upcoming meeting of the CSTO Foreign Ministers Council Working Group on Afghanistan on December 8 this year.
We attach particular importance to the normalization of the situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. The Organization has the necessary capacity to provide substantial assistance to both sides in resolving this problem by exclusively political and diplomatic means.
Dear parliamentarians,
The multilevel mechanism of political consultations within the CSTO continues to operate actively, making it possible to harmonize the positions of the CSTO member states on a wide range of global and regional security problems and to pursue a coordinated policy in the international arena.
The joint statements of the member states of the Organization remain the priority form of fixing collective positions and promoting them in the leading international forums.
During the November meetings in Yerevan statements on such topics were adopted and made public:
strengthening the international and regional security and arms control architecture, disarmament, and non-proliferation;
combating chemical terrorism;
ensuring information security;
countering the glorification of Nazism, and others.
The organization is entering a difficult period of work on the "outside”.
As a result of the unconstructive position of the leading Western states and the openly biased and unfriendly course of the Polish Chairmanship, co-operation with the OSCE has been suspended. Our traditional participation in such events as the OSCE Annual Security Review Conference has become impossible.
The decision by the Polish authorities to prevent Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov from participating in the OSCE Ministerial Council in Warsaw was met with general disapproval by CSTO partners.
The CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers has adopted a special statement to this effect.
Of course, we are doing everything possible to rule out such practices.
We note the important initiative of the Commonwealth of Independent States to obtain observer status in the CSTO.
We see considerable potential for tripartite co-operation with the CIS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The decision taken by the CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organization on 23 November this year on its intention to develop co-operation with the CIS and SCO could provide a basis for its development.
Cooperation with the United Nations in peacekeeping is in demand on both sides.
Contacts are maintained on a regular basis in the format of the Working Group of the CSTO and UN Secretariats on peacekeeping.
The entry into force of the Protocol amending the CSTO Peacekeeping Agreement, which provides for the introduction of the concept of a coordinating state authorized to act on behalf of all allies in contacts with the UN Secretariat on peacekeeping, would give a serious impetus to moving cooperation with the UN into the practical arena.
We would ask for assistance in completing the relevant ratification procedures as soon as possible.
A draft resolution “On cooperation between the United Nations and the CSTO” has been submitted to the United Nations General Assembly at its 77th session. We trust that it will be approved as soon as possible.
One of the key requirements for a politico-military alliance is the presence of a strong collective force component. We are working to improve the level of training of the collective forces, to better harmonize them and equip them with the most modern types of weapons and military equipment.
Military and special trainings continue on a planned basis, incorporating elements of peacekeeping, counterterrorism and crisis and emergency response.
We support the practice of participation of our parliamentarians as observers in joint trainings of the CSTO Collective Forces as an important form of parliamentary monitoring of the military and political situation in regions of collective security.
Among the priorities is the improvement of the crisis response mechanism.
At the session of the CSTO CSC, it was decided to intensify the relevant work and to complete it in 2023.
We would like to count on your understanding and support.
In the field of countering cross-border challenges and threats, we carry out operational and preventive measures as part of operations: "Channel" (combating drug trafficking), "Illegal" (combating illegal migration) and "PROXY" (suppression of criminal activities using information technologies).
We attach great importance to the implementation of the CSC decision to give the complex of operational and preventive measures "Mercenary" the status of a regional anti-terrorist operation of permanent action.
The recent coronavirus pandemic has demonstrated the extreme danger of the spread of infectious diseases worldwide. We are completing work on the formation of the Coordinating Council on Biosafety. At a recent session of the CSTO CSC, the personal composition of this body was approved. We are planning to hold the first meeting of the council by the end of this year. We are opening up a new area of activity for ourselves.
Dear parliamentarians,
The following three treaties are of great importance for the further improvement of CSTO activities:
- Agreement on joint logistical and medical support of the CSTO troops;
- Agreement on issues of jurisdiction and legal assistance in cases related to the temporary stay of formations, forces and means in the collective security system on the territories of the CSTO member states;
- The Fourth Protocol on Amendments to the Charter of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.
I would ask for your assistance, if possible, in completing the ratification procedures for all the international instruments listed above as soon as possible.
Dear parliamentarians,
This year I am completing my three-year tenure as the CSTO Secretary General. Allow me to thank you for your joint fruitful work and wish you success in your responsible activities, including the development and strengthening of our Organization.
Thank you for your attention"..
Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, thanked Stanislav Zas for his fruitful work as the CSTO Secretary General and awarded him the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly Medal "For Strengthening Parliamentary Cooperation within the CSTO”. 
___________________________________________________
The CSTO Press Secretary Vladimir Zaynetdinov
+7495-621-27-10
+7495-621-33-23 - tel/fax
