Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sooronbay Jeenbekov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon and Acting Secretary-General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation Valery Semerikov had a limited attendance meeting.
Subsequent talks involved members of delegations, including Foreign Ministers, Defence Ministers and Secretaries of Security Councils of CSTO member states.
Summit participants discussed key issues regarding intra-CSTO allied collaboration and exchanged views on topical regional and international matters.
The agenda includes measures to strengthen the Tajik-Afghan border, collaboration with the UN to implement the global counter-terrorism strategy, and coordination of CSTO member countries’ foreign policy activities.
The leaders discussed the development of the Organisation’s military potential and efforts to streamline mechanisms for combating challenges and threats, including those in the field of information security, as well as the upcoming celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory.
In addition to this, Vladimir Putin set forth high-priority aspects of Russia’s presidency of the CSTO in 2020.
Following the meeting, the sides signed a package of documents, including the Joint Statement of Heads of State of CSTO Member Countries and resolutions On a Plan of Events to Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 and On a Plan of Collective Actions of States, Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, to Implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy for 2019–2021. Other signed documents deal with additional measures to scale down tension along the Tajik-Afghan border; co-production and integration ties between defence industry companies of the CSTO member states, and the procedure for organising and conducting joint intra-CSTO research and development projects.
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Speech at an expanded meeting of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, colleagues, Mr Jeenbekov,
The presidency is being handed over to Russia, and we would like to invite our partners to focus on the following priorities in our joint work.
First, we believe it is important to continue the implementation of the CSTO Collective Security Strategy to 2025 consistently and as planned. It involves resolving practical issues related to forestalling or reducing common threats and improving security within our countries’ space.
Russia intends to closely cooperate with the CSTO states in order to expand the organisation’s operational capabilities, improving the CSTO collective forces’ combat training, cohesion and mobility.
We will develop and offer our partners a five-year plan for military cooperation within the CSTO until 2025, which we could approve at the next summit.
We believe it is necessary to improve the effectiveness of analysing and forecasting the military-political situation within the CSTO responsibility zone keeping in mind the possibility of more hot spots appearing next to our borders.
In this regard, we believe it is appropriate to step up the CSTO Crisis Response Centre’s activities, including the exchange of operational information.
Of course, we will strive to further strengthen cooperation with our partners in fighting international terrorism and extremism. We believe it important to keep up joint operations to identify and to eliminate international terrorist groups within the CSTO space, their bases, and sources of funding.
We are willing to share our experience of fighting terrorism gained in Syria and to use it in our efforts to improve the CSTO forces’ operational capabilities.
We believe that stepping up CSTO activities in combating drug trafficking is a priority. To this end, we will initiate drafting a revised CSTO anti-drug strategy for 2021–2025, which will contain additional concrete measures designed to curb the production and trade in drugs and to tighten border regulations.
Building up the CSTO peacekeeping capabilities, maintaining the peacekeeping forces’ high combat readiness and increasing the effectiveness of the command should be our top priorities.
We suggest continuing the drafting of regulatory and organisational documents that would make it possible for the CSTO units to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.
Russia will help expand the circle of friends of our organisation through developing cooperation with all the states and international associations that may be interested in doing so. Notably, last year we approved a package of documents opening up the opportunity for granting the status of CSTO observer or partner.
After all the members of the organisation ratify these documents, a substantive dialogue can be opened with the states that are interested in establishing closer contacts with the CSTO.
Friends,
Next year, we will jointly celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. A detailed plan has been agreed upon providing for holding commemorative, social, cultural and educational events in all CSTO countries.
We are looking forward to seeing the leaders of the CSTO member states at the celebrations in Moscow on May 9, 2020, and we are grateful for the support we have been given regarding our idea to have military contingents from all the CSTO member states take part in the Victory Parade on Red Square.
Of course, we focus particularly on making sure that our states continue to proceed from a single position when it comes to distributing objective information about the decisive role of the peoples of the Soviet Union in defeating Nazism.
This month, the relevant committee of the UN General Assembly approved Russia’s draft resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism with 121 states voting in favour. I would like to express my gratitude to all the CSTO members who not only jointly supported the resolution, but also co-authored it.
In closing, I would like to congratulate Kyrgyzstan on its successful CSTO presidency this year and to provide assurances that Russia will ensure continuity in the organisation’s activities, and will keep up the constructive and meaningful work in the spirit of true alliance and partnership.
Colleagues, we will make advance arrangements with you regarding the place and date of the next CSTO Collective Security Council meeting in Russia.
Thank you.