The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) denies information that Belarus wants to quit the organization
The Collective Security Treaty Organization did not receive any application from Belarus regarding its withdrawal from the organization, the CSTO said Thursday in a statement, referring to relevant media reports.
Earlier on Thursday, media reports suggested that Belarus was set to quit CSTO and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
“Due to numerous appeals of media representatives to the CSTO Secretariat, requesting to comment on the media reports media about the alleged 'beginning of Belarus withdrawal from the CSTO,' we inform you that the CSTO Secretariat has received no applications on this issue,” the organization said.
Belarusian Ambassador to Russia, Igor Petrishenko, also denied such reports in an interview with Russia’s national television channel, Channel One, yesterday.
Meanwhile, relations between Belarus and Russia have been strained recently by a host of economic disputes.
Besides, Russia has established controls along its common border with Belarus in response to that country's decision to abolish visas for short-term travelers.
According to documents released by the Russian government Wednesday, Russia's main domestic security agency, Federal Security Service (FSB), has established a full-fledged border protection regime between Russia and Belarus.
“The Russian side has made decision to establish controls on the border with Belarus without prior notification,” Maria Vanshina, a spokeswoman for Belarusian Foreign Minister said, according Gazeta.ru.
Russia and Belarus have maintained close political, economic and security ties and had no controls on their border until now. The move follows Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's order last month to abolish visas for citizens of 80 countries, including the United States and European Union nations among others.
Media reports say the move vexed Russia, where some officials saw it as a potential security threat.
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.
