Kazakh Head of State attends CSTO meeting in Dushanbe

DUSHANBE, September 16 (KAZINFORM) – A meeting of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has taken place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Kazinform cites Akorda. Attending the narrow format meeting were the Presidents of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenian PM, CSTO Secretary-General as well as Russian Leader who joined the meeting via videoconference. Later the talks were joined by members of the delegations. The meeting’s participants exchanged their views on the situation in Afghanistan as well as issues of international and regional security, summed up the outcomes of the implementation of the top focuses of the Organization’s activity in 2021, and defined the plans for the upcoming period. Calling Tajikistan’s initiative to form an operational monitoring group under the CSTO as timely, the Kazakh President pointed to the initiative’s importance in establishing interaction between competent bodies of the CSTO member States to monitor the situation in Afghanistan. «Our country shares the view of the partners on the importance of enhancing the work on detecting and neutralizing terrorist cells in our countries as well as preventing promotion of extremism and terrorism,» said the Kazakh President, highlighting the importance of providing full support to enhancing the Tajik frontier which is the southernmost border of the CSTO serving as a security belt. In his speech, the Kazakh President expressed concern over the development of the Afghan situation. In his opinion, the social and economic situation in the country is moving toward a humanitarian crisis. Noting the importance of restoring the regional trade and economic, transport and logistics, and energy ties with Afghanistan, he pointed out a need for further observation of the activity of the new authority in order to establish a long-term strategy regarding Afghanistan. The Kazakh Head of State said that the UN Security Council’s decisions to which Kazakhstan will be committed are the basic guide. Tokayev noted that Kazakhstan intends to work with Russian – a UN permanent member – and other partners within the CSTO on the issue. During the meeting, the Kazakh Head of State also noted the positive changes in global geopolitics, including the meeting of the Russian and US Presidents in Geneva, where both agreed on the issues of keeping a strategic balance between the two major nuclear powers. Kazakhstan voiced its support for adoption of the three international agreements on the jurisdiction and provision of legal assistance, financial and technical and medical provision of the CSTO forces and the Protocol to the Agreement on Peacekeeping Activity during the event. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also expressed gratitude to the Russian side for supporting his initiative to create an International Biology Safety Agency under the aegis of the UN. In conclusion, the Kazakh President thanked Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the successful chairmanship of the CSTO as well as expressed readiness for active cooperation with Armenia which will assume the chairmanship. Following the summit, the Heads of the CSTO member States adopted the Declaration of the Collective Security Council.