Speech by the CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov at the II Minsk Conference on Eurasian Security

Dear participants of the Conference,

I am pleased to welcome you to the Second Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security. I express my special gratitude to my Belarusian friends for the excellent organization of this event and their unfailing hospitality and cordiality!

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today we are living through a very challenging time. The world is undergoing fundamental changes. The practice of resolving interstate problems by force and the rejection of universal norms of international law are on the rise. The crisis of trust between the world centers is causing great damage to the possibility of making mutually acceptable decisions on many issues of global security.

In an environment of strategic instability, numerous “dormant” conflicts are entering a “hot” phase. Subregional problems develop into regional conflicts. At the same time, they are often of an openly managed nature. Their number is multiplying. According to available statistics, last year more than 180 conflicts of regional and local scale were recorded in the world. That is more than in the past thirty years.

In the observed increase in military and political tensions in the world, unfortunately, the main hotbed of crises and conflicts, both in number and intensity, is Eurasia. Recent decisions in the region to deploy new weapons with a longer range than those already deployed on the continent threaten to reignite the nuclear missile arms race.

Unfortunately, at the current stage, diplomacy is taking a back seat, and the desire to “sell” one's position through illegal economic coercive measures, bypassing the UN Security Council, prevails in political thinking. It is estimated that today more than two billion people in the world are experiencing the effects of economic sanctions.

Scientific and technological progress makes relevant such challenges to international stability as the rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence for military purposes, mass production and lack of clear regulation of lethal autonomous weapons systems, cyber threats, and military space activities.

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

All of the above-mentioned threats to global security require an adequate solution. And in these conditions, the equal, mutually beneficial international cooperation to which our colleagues have referred comes to the fore in the field of security.

In its activities, the CSTO has always taken this view, based on the unconditional priority of resolving all emerging problems by political and diplomatic means. The multilevel mechanism of political consultations used for this purpose has proved to be an effective tool for putting this principle into practice. With its help, the Organization's member states reach consensus in assessing international events, coordinate positions on a wide range of issues on the global and regional agenda, and pursue a coordinated line of action on leading international platforms.

The leitmotif of all our actions is to ensure the equal and indivisible security of the Organization's member states on the basis of the principle of consensus and the rejection of rigid bloc thinking. We do not aim to become a “counterweight” to any other organization or country.

For more than twenty years, the CSTO has been proving its effectiveness in ensuring regional security. Today, the Organization is an integral part of the international security system.

Dear participants,

The Collective Security Treaty Organization considers the United Nations as the main international partner. Our interaction on all the above-mentioned challenges and threats on the basis of the Joint Declaration on Cooperation between the CSTO and UN Secretariats of 2010 is of particular relevance.

Our cooperation with the Global Organization on Afghan issues is becoming increasingly necessary. Despite the well-known positive changes in that country, the likelihood of the spread of terrorism, radical ideology and criminal drug trafficking in the Eurasian region is not only not decreasing, but is taking on new forms. We note additional challenges associated with signs of competition for the natural resources of this region, primarily water, which may cause interstate conflicts.

Despite the severity of the problem, the CSTO manages to maintain control in this area of its responsibility. The Organization attaches particular importance to monitoring and forecasting the possible development of the situation.

The CSTO welcomes the independent participation of the national peacekeeping contingent of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights and expresses confidence that this experience will serve as a practical contribution to further building up the capacity of the CSTO Peacekeeping Forces.

We in the Organization proceed from the premise that in today's critically changing world, countries cannot face growing challenges and threats alone. Over the years of the UN's existence, the functionality of regional organizations has expanded significantly. They are closer to the hotbeds of problems, see a conflict at its inception and take preventive measures with the available resources. By strengthening regional stability in accordance with the national interests of member states, regional organizations are able to form an alternative to ineffective or outdated models of relations and create new, more effective mechanisms for ensuring security, thereby contributing to the expansion of the space of opportunities for the free and successful internal development of states and for mutually beneficial and equitable international cooperation in the emerging multipolar world.

The increasing coincidence or closeness of the approaches of the CSTO member states with the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on the most important issues on the international agenda directs us towards the consistent development of relations with these organizations on the widest range of issues - from peacekeeping to preventive diplomacy, counter-terrorism activities, combating drug trafficking and information security.

We fully support the conclusion of the Astana Declaration of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on the consistent formation at the present stage of a more just and multipolar world order.

The CSTO allies support Russia's initiative to form a new continental architecture of interaction in the security, economic and humanitarian spheres, designed to serve the conjugation of integration projects and the harmonization of relations between development centers in Eurasia.

At the same time, the transformation of the international security system is increasingly influenced by such factors as the desire of the new “middle powers” to play a more active role in international relations and the increasing role of the Global South in world politics.

The activity of “intermediary states” in seeking to exert a positive influence on interstate relations and the Eurasian security structure is becoming increasingly visible. The Astana Platform and the Dushanbe process to combat terrorism are prime examples.

Maintaining strategic stability in the new conditions requires the involvement of all states ready for close cooperation with China, deep dialog with India, and serious consideration of trends and processes taking place throughout “Greater Eurasia” - in the regions of Central, Southeast, South and East Asia, Middle East and Near East.

We note the active process of forming new centers of world politics, which is confirmed by the dynamic development of the BRICS. Its members have also accumulated experience of cooperation in responding to the threats of terrorism, illicit trafficking in weapons and prohibited substances, transnational crime and illegal migration. The issue of information security is particularly noteworthy: an electronic registry will be created within the framework of the association to exchange data on attacks in the digital sphere.

The recent bombing of thousands of electronic communications and household appliances in the Middle East signals the entry into a whole new era of risks with the use of civilian technology for terrorist purposes.

The pandemic of coronavirus infection has predetermined the need to open another area of activity of international organizations - that of ensuring biological security. All these problems require close interstate cooperation on information exchange and monitoring.

Dear participants, ladies and gentlemen,

The CSTO will continue to promote the formation of a new Eurasian security architecture based on ensuring equal and indivisible security for all states, relying on political and diplomatic instruments to overcome global and regional crises.

It is futile to seek peace and stability alone. The Collective Security Treaty Organization is open to cooperation with those countries that share our principles and goals.

Thank you for your attention.