April 12 is Cosmonautics Day in CSTO Member States

On April 12, the global community and the Member States of the Collective Security Treaty Organization celebrate a significant occasion, Cosmonautics Day. 

Exactly 65 years ago, on April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin made the first orbital flight around the Earth in human history, paving the way to the stars.

For the peoples of the CSTO Member States, this is historically a bonding occasion. The triumphant breakthrough into space became a great shared achievement, embodying a massive effort, outstanding engineering brilliance, and the unbreakable solidarity of scientists, engineers and workers from all corners of what was once a single country. 

Today, this legacy serves as a solid foundation for allied relations and mutual trust.

The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly firmly believes that space must remain a weapons-free zone of peace, creativity and constructive international dialogue. This position is reflected in the Statement on Prevention of Arms Race in Outer Space, adopted in 2023. 

"We advocate for increasing the predictability and sustainability of states' activities in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, in full compliance with the norms and principles of international law, in the interests of developing international cooperation and mutual understanding, and maintaining international peace and security," the Statement reads.