Aleksandr Pankin on Interaction between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the CSTO PA

February 10 is Diplomatic Worker's Day in Russia. Aleksandr Pankin, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, spoke about the important role of inter-parliamentary diplomacy in an interview with the CSTO PA.

– Mr. Pankin, how do you see the role of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in strengthening security and stability in the region?

The Collective Security Treaty Organization has long proven to be the key mechanism for ensuring stability in the vast Eurasian space. The Parliamentary Assembly, playing an important role in the system of the Organization's bodies, deserves much credit for it.

Today, the Assembly is a powerful institution that serves to improve the legal framework in the CSTO states and, ultimately, not only to maintain security in the region, but also to improve the citizens' lives in our countries.

Parliamentarians provide full assistance to the implementation of decisions adopted by the Collective Security Council. The program of approximation and harmonization of the national legislation of the Organization's Member States is being successfully implemented. Ninety-seven model acts have already been adopted and are actively taken into account in national legislation.

We see that the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly is a highly efficient platform for foreign policy coordination among the Member States on key issues on the global and regional agenda. This is confirmed by regular joint political statements reflecting common approaches to the most acute and relevant problems.

The CSTO states are united in their view that it is necessary to establish a just multipolar world order and to counter neo-colonialism. We are convinced that inter-parliamentary dialog will make a significant contribution to the discussion on building a new architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.

– Which key initiatives suggested by the Assembly in 2024 would you emphasize?

The intensity and, more importantly, efficiency of the Parliamentary Assembly's work is traditionally high. Last year was no exception.

First of all, I would like to note the adoption of the Recommendations on Developing Common Approaches to Countering the Attempts to Revise and Distort the Historical Events and Results of the Great Patriotic War and Second World War. This document is particularly important in the light of this year's 80th anniversary of the Victory. 

It sends a powerful signal of our states' zero tolerance for destructive efforts to downplay the key role of the Soviet people in defeating Nazism.

Work to protect national sovereignty in the context of globalization and technological progress has been underway ahead of schedule. Last year, the Assembly adopted Recommendations in the field of information security, including those on regulation of the Internet, creation of artificial intelligence and robotics, as well as the use of big data to ensure national security. In addition, conceptual documents were approved to harmonize the legislation of our states in the area of combating illegal migration.

An important step was the start of work on granting legal capacity to the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly, which, ultimately, is intended to further strengthen the authority of the structure and promote its cooperation with other inter-parliamentary associations. Especially since we see that the Assembly's experience is of great interest to the states of the Global South and East.For our part, we will continue to fully promote the strengthening of the parliamentary dimension of the CSTO's activities and the development of the Assembly's external relations.

– How do you assess the results of the traditional meeting between Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and the CSTO parliamentarians – participants of the Coordination Meeting of Chairmen of the Committees on International Affairs, Defence and Security, which took place on February 7?

I would like to note that the meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere, which is generally characteristic of cooperation within the CSTO. We discussed a wide range of issues related to the current situation in the Organization and the prospective areas of its activities. At the request of the parliamentarians, Sergei Lavrov shared Russia's views on key international events. The parties agreed to continue close cooperation between the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.