The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) secretary-general’s visit to Tajikistan has reportedly been postponed due to the spread of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Russia and the Central Asian region.
“Because of the spread of coronavirus in Russia, the visit of the STO Secretary-General Stanislav Zas to Tajikistan has been postponed to another date. The new date of his visit to our country will be determined through diplomatic channels,” the Tajik MFA information department said.
Recall, Stanislav Zas was supposed to arrive in Dushanbe on a two-day working visit on March 17.
While in Dushanbe, he was scheduled to hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon, Foreign Minister Sirojiddin Muhriddin, Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo, Security Council Secretary Nasrullo Rahmatjon and Tajik Border Troops Commander Rajabali Rahmonali.
Major-General Stanislav Zas is a Ukrainian-born Belarusian general and politician who is the current Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and was formerly the State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus.
From 1982–1985, Zas was enrolled in the Baku Higher Combined Arms Command School in the capital of the Azerbaijan SSR. After graduating from this school, he began his service in the Soviet Army, at one point acting as a commander of a motorized rifle platoon and reconnaissance platoon. For two years beginning in 1993, he studied at the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and completed his studies in 1996 at the Military Academy of Belarus with honors and a gold medal. He quickly rose in the military hierarchy, serving in various positions such as head of the Main Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Belarus.
On November 4, 2015 he replaced Alexander Mezhuyev as State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus. Prior to this appointment, Zas had long served as Deputy State Secretary since August 2008. In December 2018, he was made a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, succeeding Colonel-General Yuri Khachaturov from Armenia. In May 2019, the CSTO's Foreign Ministers nominated Zas to become Secretary General, with his official appointment being on January 1, 2020.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is the regional security organization. Current members of the CSTO are Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The CSTO is currently an observer organization at the United Nations General Assembly.
