The military-political bloc CSTO appeared in 2002. This was a transformation of the previously created DKB. Then the bloc included some former republics of the USSR. Russia became the head of the organization. What kind of CSTO structure is this, which countries are included in it and what are the main activities – read in the material of ICTV Facts.
What is the CSTO
CSTO – Collective Security Treaty Organization. First there was the CST document signed by Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Russia. Azerbaijan signed this agreement on September 24, 1993, Belarus – on December 31, 1993, Georgia – on September 9, 1993. The DKB document came into force on April 20, 1994 and was designed for five years with the possibility of extension.
On April 2, 1999, the presidents of Armenia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Russia signed a protocol to extend the treaty for the next five-year period. However, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Georgia refused to extend the agreement, and in the same year Uzbekistan joined GUAM.
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On May 14, 2002, at the Moscow session of the CST, a decision was made to transform the CST into a full-fledged international organization – the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) . On October 7, 2002, the Charter and Agreement on the legal status of the CSTO were signed in Chisinau. They were ratified by all CSTO member states and came into force on September 18, 2003.
Military expert Oleg Zhdanov explained that the Collective Security Treaty Organization is something like the Russian NATO; it was created by Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact, and the liquidation of the countries of the socialist camp. Initially, this organization was financed only by Russia. She did this based on her own benefit.
The usefulness of the CSTO was questionable, since in 2020 Armenia was unable to use this treaty to ensure collective security during the war. The agreement did not help Tajikistan when Russia removed the 201st motorized rifle division (base) from the Tajik-Afghan border, and today the country must independently ensure security on this border by negotiating with other countries.
CSTO: who is included
The CSTO or Tashkent Treaty is the Collective Security Treaty Organization. It was created in April 1992 in Tashkent. It included six countries:
- Armenia;
- Kazakhstan;
- Belarus;
- Kyrgyzstan;
- Russia;
- Tajikistan.
Unlike, for example, NATO, there are no criteria for admission to the CSTO. To become a member of the CSTO, it is not necessary to meet democratic criteria and have a reformed economy and judicial system.
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What does the agreement oblige?
The highest body of the CSTO is the Collective Security Council. It considers key issues and makes decisions aimed at realizing the goals of the organization, and also ensures coordination of the activities of member countries. The main efforts of the CSTO are aimed at cooperation in military affairs .
The Council of Foreign Ministers occupies an important place in the structure of the CSTO. She discusses issues in the field of foreign policy at her level. The Council of Defense Ministers coordinates the activities of member countries in the areas of:
- military construction;
- military policy;
- military-technical cooperation.
An important area of the CSTO’s work is military-technical cooperation . Within its framework, a preferential regime for the mutual supply of military products between member countries is provided.
