The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary-General Stanislav believes that there is no threat of direct armed intrusion from Afghanistan into CSTO member nations. At the same time, he noted that Afghanistan is still a source of danger for Tajikistan.
“Currently, there is no threat of direct invasion from Afghanistan, however, those challenges that were before are retained: terrorism, drug trafficking, extremism. Therefore, we attach significant importance to strengthening of southern border of the Organization region,” Mr. Zas said on December 19.
The CSTO press center says the CSTO secretary-general on December 19 held a press conference at the International Multimedia Press Center of the Russia Today news agency (Presidential Hall) in the format of video conferencing with connection of media centers in CSTO member nations’ capitals.
He informed about the results of the CSTO activities in 2022 and the results of the regular session of the CSTO Collective Security Council in Yerevan. Zas also spoke about the main tasks and priorities facing the CSTO in 2023 during the rotating chairmanship of Belarus in the CSTO and the political steps being taken and improvement of the CSTO military potential.
He, in particular, called the completion of work on the draft target interstate program of the CSTO on strengthening segments of Tajikistan’s common border with Afghanistan, Sputnik Tajikistan reports.
The CSTO secretary-general also said that the issue of admission of new members to the Organization had not been discussed.
“This issue is not being discussed at this time. We should not approach this issue in a simplistic way, and there is no need to chase the quantity. Steps to expand the Organization should increase its effectiveness and enhance the overall security. We need to work not for quantity, but for quality, Zas was cited as saying by RIA Novosti.
The SCTO secretary-general also noted that work on expanding cooperation with China was under way. However, it was not reported what kind of cooperation.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization was formed shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union but has gradually been expanding its capabilities. Led by Russia, the CSTO now groups Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
