DUSHANBE, February 20, Asia-Plus – Celebrations to mark the 15
th
anniversary of the establishment of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) were held in Moscow on February 20.
Shakarbek Samadov, the head of the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) Committee for Ties with Executive Power, Public Associations and Media, represented Tajikistan in the celebrations.
A source at the Majlisi Milli said that Samadov will also take part at the Sixth Winter Session of OSCE Parliament Assembly in Vienna on February 22. The session is aiming to consider issues related to the upcoming session of the OSCE Parliament Assembly that will be held in Kiev, Ukraine, in the summer.
CSTO members – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – use the organization as a platform for fighting drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime, and have pledged to provide immediate military assistance to each other in the event of an attack. The bloc has a Collective Rapid Reaction Force deployed in Central Asia, and is continuing to build up its military forces.
In the meantime, Russia’s RIA Novosti quoted Herbert Salber, the director of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Center, as saying Tuesday that OSCE is interested in cooperation with CSTO to fight terrorism and human trafficking. He said OSCE hopes for a broader cooperation with the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in the fight against new threats and challenges, including terrorism and human trafficking.
