Recently, opinions have been increasingly expressed regarding the insolvency of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) – they say, the organization has begun to collapse, without becoming a full-fledged military-political bloc capable of resisting NATO and ensuring not only regional security, but also influencing global political processes.
Basically, such ideas were the result of a number of demonstrative actions on the part of Armenia, which since the beginning of this year has pointedly ignored participation in the work of the CSTO. So, in January, Yerevan refused to host the exercises of the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces (CSR) of the CSTO, and subsequently Armenia never sent its military contingent to participate in similar events on the territory of other member countries of the Organization.
In March, Yerevan refused the right to appoint its representative to the post of Deputy Secretary General of the military bloc. At the same time, the leadership of the republic has repeatedly made critical remarks to the CSTO, reproaching the Organization for its unwillingness to assess Azerbaijan's actions against Armenia. Some people have already managed to regard such demarches as the beginning of centrifugal processes in the CSTO. Nevertheless, it is certainly premature to talk about the Organization in the past tense.
According to the CSTO Charter, the Organization is a military bloc and its activities are primarily aimed at "strengthening peace, international and regional security and stability, protecting the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the member states on a collective basis." At the same time, in accordance with Article 8 of the CSTO Charter, "the member states coordinate and unite their efforts in the fight against international terrorism and extremism, illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances ...".
That is, the members of the Organization devote a considerable part of their time to protecting their states from such a security threat as the spread of drugs and psychotropic substances.
The relevance of this topic was recently discussed by representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the CSTO countries at the 25th meeting of the Coordinating Council of Heads of Competent Authorities for Countering Drug Trafficking of the Organization's Member States (CSOPN), held on October 24 in Minsk.
Speaking to the participants of the meeting, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus Ivan Kubrakov noted that in the conditions of a difficult geopolitical situation, drug crime has intensified, which is trying to use the CSTO countries for the transit of drugs. "In a difficult geopolitical situation, unprecedented military, political and economic pressure on our countries, the drug threat does not lose its relevance," stated the head of the Belarusian Interior Ministry. In addition, the Minister drew the attention of those present to the fact that many of our regions, having previously been more transit for drug trafficking, are now considered by drug dealers as promising markets for psychoactive substances. Kubrakov also pointed out the need to develop effective strategies and measures to counter the spread of drugs. "We see that organized crime has integrated at the expense of the Internet, thus covering all CSTO member states. The organizers of the drug business use our countries to sell drugs while being on the territory of other states, and the money received from criminal activity is increasingly concentrated in digital currency," the head of the Belarusian Interior Ministry said.
It is interesting that representatives of all CSTO states, including Armenia, took part in the event. This circumstance was noted even by commentators in Yerevan. Their surprise is explained, first of all, by the fact that a number of Armenian political scientists confidently and openly say that Armenia will withdraw from the CSTO. Russian political scientists hold a slightly different point of view. For example, the president of the human rights foundation "Fatherland", lawyer and political scientist Artem Ananyev estimated the probability of Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO as minimal. He believes that "at the level of some deep sense of self-preservation" Yerevan still will not take any drastic measures. Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO will serve as a trigger for its possible entry into NATO, Ananyev believes (Armenia has already received an official invitation – ed.). In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that in trying to get closer to the United States, the Armenian leadership should not forget about the fate of the states relying on the West.
Thus, the presence of Armenian representatives at the meeting in Minsk, apparently, can be interpreted as a manifestation of caution on the part of Yerevan, where they correctly understood the signals coming from Moscow and are in no hurry to make a choice. The time is really difficult now, and decisions should be made very carefully so as not to lose the benefits that are available, and which will be difficult to return later. Undoubtedly, this maxim is also understood by the rest of the CSTO members, who still highly appreciate the benefits of being part of an Organization that has repeatedly proven its effectiveness (VPO: "Minsk: There is not much security").
By the way, during his speech at the meeting of the CSOPN, General Kubrakov noted the advantages of collective measures to combat drug trafficking. "Within the framework of the CSTO, we have made significant progress through joint efforts in a number of areas of activity," he stressed. "The work on identifying and suppressing international drug supply channels has been intensified. In cooperation with the Russian Federation, the number of controlled deliveries has increased. We have gained some experience in organizing complex operational and preventive special programs and operations. The exchange of operational information is being consistently established," the Minister of Internal Affairs of Belarus stated. "Today's meeting will allow us to summarize the interim results of cooperation, exchange the necessary information, and develop new practical recommendations in the interests of cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account all the features of modern challenges and threats emanating from drug crimes," Ivan Kubrakov added.
It should be recalled here that the fight against illicit trafficking in drugs and psychotropic substances is just one of the areas of security activities. Collective security, on the other hand, is a complex and multifaceted concept that covers almost all spheres of activity of the Organization's Member States.
In Minsk, assessing the situation in relation to Belarus both in the region and in the world, they are well aware of its complexity and danger, which means they absolutely do not doubt the necessity and importance of the CSTO. At the time, the President of Belarus, in an interview with the Secretary General of the Organization Imangali Tasmagambetov, stressed that compromises in the CSTO will have to be found, noting that in general, the participating countries act as a single organization. "I think we have to go through this difficult period, and it will unite our organization even more on the principles that are necessary and possible for every state," the Belarusian head of state said at the time.
Vladimir Vuyachich
