Collective Security Treaty Organization Acquires Plausible Shape

The decisions of the international regional Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that is being set up in the CIS and will comprise Russia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan "will be most binding for its member states", said Secretary General of the Collective Security Council (CSC) Valery Nikolayevnko in an interview.

The refusal to fulfil the obligations the states will commit themselves to "will lead to certain sanctions", he said.

The creation of the CSTO "implies a higher international status, a number of new functions in foreign-political and military interaction, as well as in fight against new threats and challenges," Nikolayenko pointed out.

The forthcoming session of the CSTO heads of state, due on April 28th in Dushanbe, "will be marked by our entering a new stage", he emphasized.

The CSTO set-up "is intensifying military-technical cooperation, making consultations on significant international issues closer, giving rise to joint measures to fight international terrorism and other dangers," the Secretary General believes.

When speaking on the CSTO structure, Nikolayenko pointed out that it envisaged an observer's status, which is currently being used by Ukraine and Moldova. The organization "is open for observers and members from not only the CIS countries, but also from other states if they commit themselves to the corresponding obligations", he underlined.