Anatoly Vyborny: Combining Intellectual and Scientific Potential Within the CSTO Parliamentary Dimension Will Serve the Interests of Collective Security

Anatoly Vyborny, Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly’s Standing Commission on Defence and Security, and a deputy of the Russian State Duma, held a working meeting of experts of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly at the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies (BISS) in Minsk. It was symbolic that the meeting took place on the day of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty on May 15, 1992.

“The reality of history clearly shows that the time of détente, which was treacherously used by the West to attempt to colonize the post-Soviet space using soft power, is over. On the western borders of the CSTO, near the borders of the Union State, the CIS and the EAEU, NATO is concentrating its forces, far outnumbering those of Belarus and Russia. Alone, it is impossible to withstand such pressure of force and growing sanctions. In such an environment, neutralizing the threat, preserving sovereignty, creating legal and other conditions for peaceful development on the western borders of the CSTO is possible only by rallying, coordinating efforts and pooling capacities,” said Anatoly Vyborny.

The parliamentarians discussed five issues on the meeting agenda. In particular, they discussed the directions of the activities of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly to ensure legal support to counter challenges and threats to collective and national security. The speakers stressed that the implementation of the outlined proposals is possible only through concerted joint work and support of all the CSTO Member States.

Participants of the working meeting heard reports on implementation of the priorities of Belarus’ 2023 CSTO Chairmanship. Particularly, Sergei Rachkov, a member of the Standing Commission on Political Affairs and International Cooperation of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of the Standing Commission on International Affairs and National Security of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, delivered a report on the political aspect of interparliamentary cooperation. Oleg Belokonev, a member of the Coordination Meeting of the Chairpersons of the Committees (Commissions) on Defence and Security of the Parliaments of the CSTO Member States at the CSTO PA Council, addressed the military aspect of interparliamentary cooperation.

Anatoly Vyborny stressed that the participants managed to take another significant practical step towards implementation of the priorities of the Republic of Belarus in the CSTO and development of the Assembly’s potential. This was the first time that an inclusive meeting of Assembly experts had been held during the drafting of the final document regarding the parliamentary monitoring of the military and political situation in the region, Mr Vyborny stressed.

“The gathered momentum of interparliamentary cooperation makes it possible to regard the initiative of combining analytical efforts not only as a condition for an objective assessment and forecasting of the situation on the borders of the Organization. I am confident that the joint work of experts will produce a synergetic effect. It will help ensure that the CSTO PA’s programmatic lawmaking activities are relevant and proactive,” Mr Vyborny said.

Having outlined the main areas of cooperation, participants of the meeting signed an Agreement on Interaction and Cooperation Between the Secretariat of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies. The latter is a Belarusian think tank. The development of such think tanks is a priority for national security, across all its components: economic, demographic, technological, information and military security.