Russia presidency in CSTO facilitates development of allied relations with partners - Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW, December 24. /TASS/. Russia’s presidency in the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) facilitated the development of allied relations with partners, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. “Much attention was paid to taking preventive measures to counter challenges and threats coming from Afghanistan,” the ministry said. “The temporary working group, including border guard agencies of the CSTO member-states, was created to coordinate efforts for strengthening border security in Central Asia,” the ministry said. The CSTO created the Collective Air Force, conducted major joint exercises codenamed Rubezh-2014, Indestructible Brotherhood 2014 and Interaction 2014 and adopted the CSTO Anti-Drug Strategy for 2015-2020, the ministry said. The anti-drug operation, ‘Channel’, was conducted regularly. Special measures were taken to combat illegal migration, the ministry said. The CSTO was expanding relations with other international organisations, primarily with the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation), it added. Russia chaired the CSTO from January 1, 2014. Tajikistan will hold the presidency from 2015. The Collective Security Treaty was signed in 1992. Ten years later the CSTO was founded. It includes Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Read more