On 25 July 2024, staff of the CSTO Secretariat met with graduates of Central Asian universities in the fields of “International relations” and “Regional studies” who are participating in the International School of Diplomacy and are in Moscow at the invitation of the Autonomous Nonprofit Organization ‘National Research Institute for the Development of Communications’ and the Centre for International Strategic Studies of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Allow me to thank the Russian presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the invitation to take part in the debate on the interaction between the United Nations and regional organizations - the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO.
I highly appreciate my participation in the meeting of the main body of the World Organization responsible for maintaining global peace and international security. I am convinced that today's debate will contribute to the development of new, additional mechanisms for United Nations cooperation with the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO - the leading regional organizations operating in the Eurasian security space.
The CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov took part in the debate on “UN cooperation with regional organizations: the CSTO, the CIS and the SCO” held on 19 July 2024 at the UN Security Council.
Imangali Tasmagambetov, the Collective Security Treaty Organization Secretary General, told BELTA news agency correspondent whether the CSTO sought to become a counterweight to NATO, the situation in the East European region of collective security, the role of Belarus in the organization, and what initiative of the President of Belarus had become important and timely for the CSTO.
The CSTO sub-regional anti-drug operation "Channel-Perekhvat" was held
15.09.2023
In accordance with the CSTO CCBCD Plan of Basic Activities for 2023, a subregional anti-drug operation "Channel-Perekhvat" was carried out in the territory of the CSTO member states from 11 to 15 September, this year, with a view to suppressing channels for the flow of drugs, their precursors and analogues and new psychoactive and potent substances into the CSTO region of responsibility, neutralizing international transnational drug groups, eliminating clandestine drug production and undermining the economic foundations of the drug business, including the legalization of drug proceeds. The subregional anti-drug operation "Channel-Perekhvat" was carried out in order to legalize drug profits.
Law enforcement agencies, border and customs authorities, state security services, financial intelligence units of the CSTO member states, as well as observers from China, Iran, CARICC, UNODC, EAG, SCO RATS EC, and the Council of Heads of Financial Intelligence Units of the services of the Commonwealth of Independent States member states took part in the operation.
The International Coordination Headquarters to manage the operation was deployed at the Central Asian Information and Coordination Centre in Almaty, the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Some 12,100 members of the competent authorities were involved in the operation.
As a result of coordinated action, over 897 kg of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, including 61.5 kg of mephedrone, 2.8 kg of MDMA, 12.2 kg of α-PVP, 237 kg of marijuana, 301 kg of hashish and 2.5 kg of heroin, as well as over 1 kg of potent substances and over 34 kg of precursors, were seized from illicit trafficking in CSTO member states during the period of the operation.
48 firearms and about 2,773 rounds of ammunition of various calibers were seized. 854 drug offences were detected, of which: 38 were committed in group forms and 28 were related to smuggling. 4 illegal drug laboratories were liquidated. 399 persons were detained for drug trafficking offences, including 44 wanted persons. 444 Internet sites through which prohibited drug-related information was disseminated were identified.
In the course of the operation, operational cooperation between the financial monitoring and drug control services of the CSTO member states was organized, resulting in the detection of over 50,000 suspicious financial transactions involving more than 300 persons allegedly involved in drug trafficking. The total amount of identified transactions exceeds 1 billion rubles, most of which are related to the transit of funds, cash deposits and withdrawals, the use of "drop" bank cards and cryptocurrency transactions.
The competent authorities of CSTO member states carried out a number of international controlled deliveries. Several sophisticated smuggling channels for controlled drugs were uncovered and suppressed, and three cases of legalization of drug proceeds were documented.
.Joint efforts unmasked a large transnational organized criminal group.
“As margin notes” of the operation "Channel-Interception", the III International Specialized International Training of the Canine Services of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Kyrgyz Republic was held.
The International Coordination Headquarters held two round tables on countering the proliferation of synthetic drugs and legalization of criminal drug proceeds. Best practices in uncovering the economic components of the drug business and operationally relevant information were exchanged.
The observers from Iran and China have informed the members of the International Coordination Headquarters about the facts of seizures of large quantities of controlled drugs on their territories during the CSTO operation, and the UNODC representative brought to the attention of the ICH members the situation regarding the production of synthetic drugs on the territory of Afghanistan.
On 15 September 2023, a preliminary summary of the results of the operation took place in Almaty, with the participation of the Chairman of the CSTO CCBCD, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General of Police A.I. Khrapov, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Lieutenant-General of Police K.I. Suntaev, and the CSTO Deputy Secretary General V.A. Semerikov.
