Russia-led CSTO’s parliamentary assembly council meets in Kazakhstan

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - The parliamentary assembly of Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) held talks on Monday in the Kazakh city of Almaty.

“The military-political situation in the world continues to undergo a profound transformation. The potential for conflict is growing in a number of regions directly adjacent to the CSTO area of ​​responsibility,” alliance chief Imangali Tasmagambetov said in his opening remarks, according to a statement.

Expressing that the situation in Eastern Europe and the Middle East is of serious concern for the alliance, Tasmagambetov said the internal political situation in Afghanistan remains complex while “tangible risks” remain in the South Caucasus.

“The CSTO is a key factor in maintaining stability in the Eurasian space, capable of ensuring the security of the organization’s member states,” he said.

He said the alliance remains committed to the “unification agenda” and search for solutions for a comprehensive and long-term resolution of crisis situations, primarily through political and diplomatic means.

“At the same time, today, taking into account new political realities, the need to further improve the activities of our organization is of particular relevance,” he said, adding that the alliance planned to adopt draft statements on pressing issues including Afghanistan, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as cooperation in the field of information security and the use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

A subsequent readout said the representatives discussed in detail the military-political situation within the CSTO’s area of ​​responsibility. They considered issues of “unifying the legislation of member states regulating issues of countering challenges and threats to collective security."

The CSTO is made up of six post-Soviet states – Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.​​​​​​​