On Monday, May 16, a meeting of the leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) countries took place in Moscow in honor of the 30th anniversary of the organization.
The CSTO has been counting its history since May 15, 1992, when the heads of Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan signed the Collective Security Treaty in Tashkent. Belarus joined it in 1993, and with it Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Agreement entered into force on April 20, 1994.
Recall that the Collective Security Agreement was concluded for a period of five years with the possibility of further extension. In 1999, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan signed a Protocol on the extension of the Collective Security Treaty, on the basis of which a new composition of the participating countries was formed and an automatic procedure for extending the Treaty for five-year periods was established. In 1999, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan withdrew from the Treaty.
It should be noted that from the moment of signing until 2002, the Treaty was actually a regional agreement aimed at maintaining close cooperation and mutual understanding in the military-political sphere between the participants. On May 14, 2002, in Moscow, the Collective Security Council decided to transform the Collective Security Treaty into a full–fledged international organization - the CSTO.
On October 7, 2002, at the CIS summit in Chisinau, the Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan approved the Charter of the CSTO. In December 2003, the CSTO Charter was registered with the UN Secretariat, and in 2004 the organization was granted observer status in the UN General Assembly.
In accordance with Article 3 of the CSTO Charter, the goals of the organization are to strengthen peace, international and regional security and stability, and to protect the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states on a collective basis.
The key article 4 of the Treaty states: "If one of the participating States is subjected to aggression by any State or group of States, it will be considered as aggression against all States parties to this Treaty. In the event of an act of aggression against any of the Participating States, all other Participating States will provide him with the necessary assistance, including military assistance, as well as support with the means at their disposal in the exercise of the right to collective defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter."
The basis of the CSTO's military potential is made up of Collective Rapid Reaction Forces, regional groupings of troops, Collective aviation and Peacekeeping forces, combined military systems and military infrastructure facilities. The specified forces and means of collective security constitute Troops (Collective Forces) CSTO. The preparation of the Collective Forces for the fulfillment of the assigned tasks is carried out in accordance with the annual plans of joint activities.
Since the first days of its membership in the Organization, the Republic of Belarus has been actively participating in its activities and taking various initiatives and measures to strengthen the CSTO and enhance its role in the international arena. It is indicative of the fact that the National Security Concept (KNB) of the Republic of Belarus notes "increasing the effectiveness of the CSTO" as a national interest in the military sphere, while "weakening integration structures and organizations", as well as "reducing the potential and capabilities of military-political unions" with the participation of Belarus is considered a source of threats to national security both of a political and military nature.
In turn, the Military Doctrine of Belarus confirms the provisions of the KNB and defines cooperation with the CSTO member states as a priority. It includes cooperation on the development and use of collective security forces, the creation of joint military systems, the development of the CSTO peacekeeping potential and strengthening the status of the CSTO in the international arena.
In this context, it should be noted that the Armed Forces of Belarus participate in the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CSR), the Collective Aviation Forces (CAS) and the Collective Peacekeeping Forces (CMS) of the CSTO. In addition, the Belarusian army is actively involved in the regional grouping of troops of Belarus and Russia, which was created on a bilateral basis, but also operates within the framework of the CSTO.
As part of the improvement of the Collective Forces of the Organization, Belarus not only takes an active part in the CSTO exercises, but also ensures that they are held on its territory. For example, in 2019, a special exercise "Search-2019" was held at the ranges "Obuz-Lesnovsky", "Domanovsky", "Chepelevo" and "Osipovichsky" with the forces and means of intelligence of the CSTO member states. The purpose of the exercise was to practice reconnaissance in the interests of localization of the border armed conflict in the Eastern European region. It involved 2,000 military personnel and 250 pieces of equipment.
In 2020, the command and staff exercise "Indestructible Brotherhood - 2020" was held at the Losvido training ground in the Vitebsk region in order to train peacekeeping forces. During the exercise, the issues of organizing, preparing and conducting a peacekeeping operation in one of the regions of collective security were worked out. As the head of the Belarusian General Staff, Major General Alexander Volfovich, noted at the time, the exercise was an event of strategic deterrence within the framework of the difficult situation that has developed in the world and, in particular, on the territory of post-Soviet countries.
In the same year, but already at the 4th State Central interspecific training Ground "Kapustin Yar" in the Astrakhan region, the Belarusian military took part in a special exercise with the forces and means of material and technical support of the CSTO CSR "Echelon 2020". As part of the exercise, actions were practiced during a joint operation to localize a border armed conflict. About 1,000 military personnel and 250 pieces of equipment were involved. At the closing ceremony of the exercise, the head of the CSTO Joint Staff, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, noted that during the exercise new approaches to improving the joint logistics system of the Collective Forces of the CSTO were tested, and this direction is one of the priorities in the development of the military component of the Organization.
It is quite difficult to list all the events, but it is already obvious that Belarus takes its participation in the organization very seriously and with interest.
In addition to purposeful activities for the development and improvement of Collective Forces, the Republic of Belarus has put forward and implemented a number of initiatives in the interests of the overall enhancement of the CSTO potential. This direction was implemented especially effectively in 2011 – during the Belarusian chairmanship of the Organization. In 2017, a number of priorities of the next Belarusian chairmanship were put into the practical plane of the CSTO's activities, concerning strengthening the Organization's influence in the international arena, improving the effectiveness of the system of rapid response to emerging crisis situations and operational readiness of the Collective Forces of the CSTO, expanding the format of countering international terrorism, combating drug trafficking and illegal migration in the regions of collective security of the CSTO.
In addition, the Belarusian side has repeatedly put forward for consideration by the participants of the Organization the question of the possibility of using the military potential of the CSTO to eliminate (localize) "hybrid threats" inspired from the outside, but disguised as an internal political crisis (internal armed conflict). In this regard, it can be said that the timely actualization by the Republic of Belarus of this topic contributed to the effective conduct of the peacekeeping operation in January 2022 in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Speaking at a conference held at the Valdai International Discussion Club in February 2022, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas (appointed from the post of State Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus) noted that the CSTO operation demonstrated unity and readiness to jointly protect collective interests.
By the way, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko also spoke about unity, or rather about its lack, on Monday, May 16 in Moscow at a meeting of the leaders of the CSTO countries. "In conditions of complete disregard for the norms and principles of international law, unity and solidarity of like-minded people are especially important. <...> You remember the Kazakh events. The timeliness and efficiency of this step have clearly demonstrated to the whole world the close allied ties, the capacity and potential of the Organization to ensure the security of its Member States. No one in the West even dared to think of getting involved in that situation. Because together we are a force," the Head of State noted.
Speaking to the participants of the meeting, Alexander Lukashenko asked whether it is possible to say today that the members of the CSTO are still bound by ties of solidarity and support: "As recent events show, from our point of view (maybe I'm wrong), it seems not. What is the cost of banning certain CSTO partners from flying national airlines of other member states of this organization to them. Against the background of the most severe, frenzied sanctions pressure from the consolidated West, the postulates of unity and solidarity do not always work. Unfortunately, this can be seen from the voting in international organizations. With the tacit consent of our partners, Belarus and Russia, contrary to all the laws of international life, are being shunned and excluded from international organizations at the whim of the West."
The President of Belarus acknowledged that the CSTO allies are being subjected to harsh and unprincipled pressure. "But it is precisely for such situations that there is collective mutual support," he noted. "Without the speedy consolidation of our countries, strengthening of political, economic, and military ties, we may not exist tomorrow," Alexander Lukashenko stressed.
It is obvious that the frankness of the statements and the accuracy of the wording in Alexander Lukashenko's speech is primarily due to the fact that Belarus, like Russia, most clearly of all the members of the Organization represent the full range of threats not only to their security, but also to the CSTO as a whole.
"Today's meeting is taking place at a difficult time, as Vladimir Vladimirovich just said. The time of the redistribution of the world. The unipolar system of the world order is irrevocably becoming a thing of the past. However, the collective West is waging a fierce struggle to maintain its positions. All means are used, including in the area of responsibility of our Organization. From the rattling of NATO weapons at our western borders to a full–scale hybrid war unleashed against us, primarily against Russia and Belarus," the Belarusian leader described the situation. He drew attention to the fact that NATO is aggressively building up its muscles, pulling the recently neutral states – Finland and Sweden - into its network. It operates on the principle of "whoever is not with us is against us." Hypocritically continues to declare its defensive orientation.
In 2023, the Republic of Belarus will once again preside over the Collective Security Treaty Organization. In this regard, the state bodies of Belarus are already preparing priority areas of activity that will ensure the firm strengthening of the Organization's status in the international system of checks and balances.
Vladimir Vuyachich
