CSTO presidents to create collective air force, talk anti-terror, drug trafficking fight

MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, streamlining of collective security system, creation of a collective air force are high on the agenda of a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) . The presidents of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will meet for this summit at the Kremlin on Tuesday. Twenty-two documents are being prepared for signing upon results of talks, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. These are a statement by the heads of state, 19 decisions and two protocols. “In a statement the CSTO heads of state voiced concerns over a growing terrorism threat, spread of extremism in Central Asia, including with Afghan factor taken into account and a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem, so, outlining positions on main regional issues,” the Kremlin official said. Among other documents he noted “the CSTO Council’s decision to check combat readiness of the CSTO collective rapid response forces to fulfil tasks within their mission, the council’s decision on CSTO collective air force, the council’s ruling on an anti-drug strategy of the CSTO states, the council’s decision on a plan of measures to implement guidelines of developing a collective response to emergencies.” Chief of the CSTO United Staff Lieutenant General Aleksander Studenikin will participate in the summit. The CSTO Council plans to set up an organisation’s consulting co-ordinating centre for response to computer incidents, Ushakov noted. The Russian presidential aide added that “counteraction to criminal activity in information sphere” was one of prepared draft protocols. For instance, CSTO operation codenamed PROXY on fighting crimes in the information sphere is planned to put on a regular basis. Among issues which are planned to discuss in the narrow format Ushakov named “the condition of a CSTO crisis response system in global and regional challenges to security; progress of the CSTO Council’s decision to assist Tajikistan to reinforce Tajik-Afghan border and a check of readiness of CSTO collective rapid response forces to fulfil their mission tasks.” Another two issues are put on a plenary meeting of the summit, including the situation in the CSTO responsibility zone and improvement of collective security system as well as CSTO guidelines during Tajikistan’s CSTO presidency in 2015,” the Russian presidential leader said. “We believe that the summiteers should focus on the situation in Afghanistan, formulate a consolidated position of the CSTO states which call for Afghanistan’s restoration as an independent, neutral, prosperous country, support UN central co-ordinating role in efforts for Afghan settlement and assistance to Afghan people,” the Kremlin official noted. The Collective Security Treaty was signed in 1992 and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation was established ten years later. Now the CSTO assembles Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan. The organisation’s top priorities are “strengthening of peace, international and regional security and stability, protection of independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of its member states.” Tajikistan will take over rotating presidency in the CSTO constituent bodies from Russia at the summit. Read more