ASTANA – The presidents and heads of government of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Council member states met in Astana Nov. 8 to discuss regional security, organisational operations and summarise Kazakhstan’s chairmanship in 2018.
Photo credit: Akorda Press.
The meeting was attended by presidents Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, Sooronbay Jeenbekov of Kyrgyzstan, Vladimir Putin of Russia, Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, as well as CSTO Secretary General Valery Semerikov and defence and foreign ministers of the six states.
The participants discussed international and regional security, as well as the interaction of CSTO member states within the establishment and internationally.
Nazarbayev said it was important to strengthen cooperation within the CSTO and improve mechanisms to ensure collective security.
“The main political document of the CSTO Summit in Astana became the final declaration, which reflects the objectives and plans of the organisation for the coming period. A statement ‘On coordinated measures regarding participants of armed conflicts on the side of international terrorist organisations’ was adopted. We completed the work, introduced by our Belarusian colleagues, on the legal registration of the status of the CSTO partner and the observer. A corresponding package of documents has been signed,” said Nazarbayev.
The meeting approved action plans to combat illegal migration and coordinate information policy in favour of the CSTO countries.
“Kazakhstan considers the CSTO as an authoritative and effective structure. This year Kazakhstan successfully implemented its priorities with the active and comprehensive support of the member states,” said Nazarbayev.
“The coordination council for the standardisation of weapons and military equipment was created at the meeting of the CSTO intergovernmental commission on military-technical cooperation,” he said.
He also focused on the results of joint work on countering cyber threats and combating illicit drug trafficking.
Nazarbayev stressed that during Kazakhstan’s chairmanship, the initiative on adoption of a universal code of conduct to achieve a world free of terrorism, which was approved by more than 70 countries, was implemented.
The CSTO chairmanship was transferred from Kazakhstan to Kyrgyzstan for the next inter-sessional period of one year. Nazarbayev expressed confidence the Kyrgyz chairmanship will be held at a high level and help develop the organisation.
Earlier in the day, a joint meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), the Council of Defence Ministers (CDM) and the Committee of Secretaries of the Security Councils (CSSC) of the CSTO was held with the participation of representatives from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan.
The meeting sought to strengthen international and regional security, military cooperation and to address current threats.
The next joint meeting of the CFM, the CDM and the CSTO’s CSSC and the summit will be in 2019 in Kyrgyzstan.
