CSTO is key element of stability in Eurasia, Tajik foreign minister says

MOSCOW, December 22 /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization /CSTO/ is the key element of security of the CSTO states and stability in the Eurasian region, Sirodzhidin Aslov, the foreign minister of Tajikistan, said on Monday. CSTO is capable of reacting adequately to the fast changing geopolitical and geostrategic situation in the world, Aslov said on Monday after a joint meeting of the Council of the CSTO Foreign and Defense Ministers and Secretaries of the Security Councils of the CSTO member states. “Today’s meeting was devoted to the state and prospects of interaction within our organization’s framework. The ministers discussed the main trends in development of the military and political situation in the world and the CSTO area of responsibility,” Aslov said. “In this context, the Republic of Tajikistan, which has taken over the CSTO’s presidency, made a number of proposals aimed at improving joint actions of CSTO member states in view of a complicated situation, which is unfolding in neighboring Afghanistan and the Middle East,” Aslov went on to say. The sides, according to Aslov, also discussed how to make right assessment of threats and work out long-term workable mechanisms of reaction to them. “Improvement in the CSTO activities was also part of the agenda,” the Tajik foreign minister said. “Tajikistan has set forth priority areas of interaction for the time of its CSTO presidency aimed at strengthening the organization’s potential,” the Tajik foreign minister went on to say. “We also discussed new spheres of joint work concerning the creation of new and improvement of existing mechanisms of counteracting threats and challenges such as terrorism, narcotic expansion, recruitment of our citizens to the ranks of terrorist groups and cybercrime,” Aslov said adding the proposals enlisted the support of Tajikistan’s colleagues at CSTO. “The common opinion is that the solution of this range of issues will make it possible to raise the efficiency of CSTO as the key element of security and stability in Eurasia capable of reacting adequately to the fast changing geopolitical and geostrategic situation in the world,” the Tajik foreign minister emphasized. Read more