DUSHANBE, September 13, Asia-Plus — A group members of permanent commissions at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Organization (CSTO) will arrive in Tajikistan on September 23 on a three-day working visit as part of their tour of Central Asia’s states.
The CSTO secretariat said that the main purpose of the planned tour is for the delegation to study military and political situation in the Central Asian countries and promote strengthening of inter-parliamentary ties between member nations of the Organization.
The delegation members includes MPs from Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
During their stay in Tajikistan, they will hold talks with senior representatives from the Tajik parliament, defense ministry, the state committee for national security, counternarcotics agency and visit sub-units of Tajik border troops and 7th airborne brigade of the Tajik defense ministry.
In the framework of Commonwealth of Independent States the CIS Collective Security Treaty (CST) was signed on May 15, 1992 by Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, in Tashkent. Azerbaijan likewise signed the treaty on September 24, 1993, Georgia on December 9, 1993 and Belarus on December 31, 1993. the treaty came into effect on April 20, 1994.
The treaty reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories wouldn”t be able to join other military alliances or other groups of states, while an aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all.
The CST was set to last for a 5-year period unless extended. On April 2, 1999, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, signed a protocol renewing the treaty for another five year period — however Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan refused to sign and withdrew from the treaty instead (at the same time Uzbekistan joined the GUAM group, established in 1997 by Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine and largely seen as intending to counter Russian influence in the region).
On October 7, 2002 the six members of the CST signed a charter, expanding it and renaming to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Nikolai Bordyuzha was appointed secretary general of the new organization.
During 2005, the CSTO partners have conducted some common military exercises. In 2005, Uzbekistan withdrew from GUAM. On June 2006, Vladimir Putin announced that Uzbekistan became a full-member of the CSTO.
In June 2007, Kyrgyzstan has assumed the rotating CSTO presidency. The CSTO is an observer organization at the United Nations General Assembly.
