CSTO able to adequately react to different challenges, threats - FM

MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organisation is a multifunctional structure, which is capable of adequately reacting to different challenges and threats, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after a session of the councils of CSTO foreign and defence ministers, and secretaries of the CSTO Security Councils on Monday. “The session was held in a constructive and trust-based atmosphere. We discussed allied relations in the organisation, including further improvement of the collective security system, peacekeeping activities, prospects for strengthening military cooperation and coordinating foreign political tasks,” Lavrov said. “The CSTO is capable of carrying out tasks to counter terrorism, drug trafficking, organised crime. These functions are recorded in the resolution, which was adopted at the UN General Assembly last month,” he said. The organisation’s priorities are to strengthen international and regional security and stability, and protect the member-states’ independence and territorial integrity on the collective basis. “Political means prioritise in the solution of problems,” he said. “Our colleagues noted that Russia’s presidency succeeded in carrying out tasks set by the heads of state. Today we’ve approved a draft statement, which will be submitted to the CSTO Council’s session tomorrow. It confirms that the stable collective security system can be only created on the fair and equal basis. The draft statement contains the CSTO member-countries’ common approaches towards key international issues,” Lavrov said. The ministers also approved other drafts document on strengthening the CSTO collective rapid reaction force and countering different threats, including in information technology. A draft anti-drug strategy till 2020 is submitted to the CSTO heads of state, he said. Russia hopes that these documents “will facilitate further effectiveness of the organisation to ensure stability on the Eurasian space”, Lavrov said. Read more