DUSHANBE, February 26, Asia-Plus – Nikolay Bardyuzha, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), is arriving in Dushanbe today afternoon for an official visit, according to the Tajik MFA.
The source at a MFA said that the purpose of the visit is for the CSTO security general to discuss with high-ranking Tajik state officials issues related to cooperation within the Organization.
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.
