DUSHANBE, July 4, 2015, Asia-Plus – A session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the member nations of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that is taking place in the Armenian capital of Yerevan today is discussing issues relating to the assessment of urgent problems of the international and regional security, interaction of CSTO states on the international arena and the situation in the world.
Besides, the CSTO top diplomats are discussing the draft collective security strategy designed for the period from 2016 through 2025, actualized collective instructions to CSTO envoys to international organizations, a plan of consultations on foreign policy, security and defense for the second half of 2016 – the first half of 2017 and other documents.
They are also exchanging views on issues related to combating terrorism and extremism in the light of the latest developments in the Middle East and Afghanistan. Besides, the Russian side has submitted a proposal to adopt a statement on the situation in Syria.
The meeting will also highlight the progress in the implementation of the decisions of the CSTO Collective Security Council on the rotation of officials in the CSTO permanent working bodies.
The CSTO is a regional security group comprising six countries – Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Armenia.
It was initially set up in 1992 in a meeting in Tashkent and Uzbekistan once already suspended its membership in 1999. However, Tashkent returned to the CSTO again in 2006 The regional security organization was initially formed in 1992 for a five-year period by the members of the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) — Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which were joined by Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Belarus the following year. A 1994 treaty reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force, and prevented signatories from joining any “other military alliances or other groups of states” directed against members states. The CST was then extended for another five-year term in April 1999, and was signed by the presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. In October 2002, the group was renamed as the CSTO. Uzbekistan that suspended its membership in 1999 returned to the CSTO again in 2006 after it came under international criticism for its brutal crackdown of antigovernment demonstrations in the eastern city of Andijon in May 2005. On June 28, 2012, Uzbekistan announced that it has suspended its membership of the CSTO, saying the organization ignores Uzbekistan and does not consider its views. The CSTO is currently an observer organization at the United Nations General Assembly.
