CSTO’s new secretary-general to focus on collective security strategy

BISHKEK, November 28. /TASS/. The Collective Security Treaty Organization’s new secretary-general, Stanislav Zas, who will take office on January 1, 2020, has mentioned the implementation of the CSTO’s collective security strategy extending up to 2025 on the list of his top priorities. "I attach top importance to the implementation of the CSTO collective security strategy extending up till 2025 and also the priorities of countries that chair the statutory bodies," Zas told TASS. He intends to focus on ensuring "the CSTO should serve its member-states and their peoples still more effectively and stay committed to the principles of the Charter." Zas is determined to take every step to enhance the relations of alliance in the foreign policy, military and military-technical fields, with special emphasis on the coordination of efforts in the struggle against international terrorism and other modern trans-border threats. "Taking office as the CSTO secretary-general is a tremendous honor for me. Also, it implies no smaller responsibility. I vow to do my utmost to ensure the CSTO voice should be heard loudly and clearly from the rostrum of international organizations, such as the United Nations, the OSCE, the CIS and the SCO. I am certain that there is an opportunity to better use participation in many events on the UN and OSCE platforms to put across the coordinated position of the CSTO member-states," Zas said. Procedural disagreements He pointed out that the appointment of the CSTO secretary-general was an important issue, but not an epoch-making one. "One should be perfectly aware that whoever is at the helm of the OSCE, the organization will keep operating in compliance with its Charter and joint decisions by the heads of the member-countries. This algorithm rules out unilateral advantages, including those stemming from the ranks and positions taken," Zas explained. The CSTO secretary-general’s seat has remained vacant since November 2018, when Armenia revoked its representative Yuri Khachaturov, who stayed in office eighteen month of the originally expected three years. Starting from January 1, 2020 Belarus will take the CSTO’s rotating presidency. Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko said the secretary of the Belarussian Security Council would take the post to replace the current acting secretary-general, Valery Semerikov. The CSTO’s members are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Read more